Mustapha, Turkish Child Prisoner
Artistcircle of
Sir Godfrey Kneller
(British, 1646 – 1723)
Dateca. 1688
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsImage: 50 3/8 × 40 3/16 × 1 1/4 in. (128 × 102.1 × 3.2 cm)
Frame: 58 × 47 5/8 × 4 1/8 in. (147.3 × 121 × 10.5 cm)
Frame: 58 × 47 5/8 × 4 1/8 in. (147.3 × 121 × 10.5 cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineBequest of John Ringling, 1936
Object numberSN398
This portrait is one of a pair in the Ringling collection, long misidentified, portraying two Turkish children, probably brothers, taken prisoner during the Siege of Belgrade in 1688. The boys were brought to England by the first Duke of St. Albans (Charles Beauclerk (1670-1726), an illegitimate son of King Charles II), who served in the Imperial army of Maximilian II Emanuel against the Turks. They remained in the duke’s custody until reaching adulthood, at which time they were offered the option of staying in England or returning home. Mustapha, pictured here, chose to return, while the other, who had been given the name Charles Wise, remained.
On View
On viewLocation
- Museum of Art, Gallery 16, Wall West
Collections
18th Century
