NEW EVALUATIONS IN TERMS OF ART HISTORY ABOUT THE STATUS OF AN 18TH CENTURY ISTANBUL MANSION IN BOSPHORUS

Abstract

Located at Bebek Quarter, Yogurtcu Zulfu Street, map section 67, city block 529 and land plot 15, the Kavafyan Mansion, one of the pioneering buildings of the 18th century Bosphorus inner-side architectural culture, is the oldest and the only surviving example of traditional Turkish house in Istanbul. In addition to the traditional elements of the venue setup, it is also highly significant in terms of featuring the first examples of mural paintings with landscape that emerged alongside Westernization begun with Sultan Ahmed III. Furthermore, heretofore unrealized 18th Century Dutch Tiles found in various places, of which the similar ones are found at the Topkapi Palace Harem Chambers, increase the significance of the building. This mansion is invaluable; not only in terms of art and architectural history; but also is in terms of Turkish cultural history. This building, in spite of its registration as "a cultural asset that is required to be preserved as is" in 1973 and classification "as a historical artifact at the first group" in 1998 by the Cultural and Natural Heritage Protection Board, today faces the threats of extinction due to the certain legal issues. This study focuses on extensive evaluation regarding all the features additional to the new findings of Kavafyan Mansion based on its current status in 2013 in the context of art history.