The Sun.
London, England, 1850-07-23 00:00:00

FINE ARTS.

PANORAMA. OF CONSTANTINOPLE.
Happily for those untravelled citizens of our metro-
polis, who are curious as to the appearance of remote
alai celebrated localities, the recent passion for pano-
ramas has enabled even the most sedentary to acquire
some familiarity with the countries of the four conti-
nents. American scenery, European scenery, African
scenery, and Asiatic scenery have alternately attracted
the attention of the multitude. Through the assist-
ance of adventurous artists, the Londoner has been
enabled while reclining in his easy chair to journey,
now up the Miseleeippi, now up the Nile, now along
the whole line traversed on the Overland Route to
India, now again through the verdant and umbra-
geous bush districts of Australia. The competition
excited in this singular branch of art by the skill of
the ingenious Mr. Banvard, the originator of the
notion of these gigantic moving panoramas, has ma-
terially tended to increase the amount of amusement
offered to public notice by the caterers at our
popular exhibitions. With two Italian Opera•
houses, another opera-house on the other
side of the Thames, a variety of theatres,
the three modern Ranelaghs—Cremorne, the Surrey,
and Vauxhall, with the hippopotamus at the Zoolo-
gical Gardens, the Scottish f-stival at Holland House,
the Black Malibran in the Haymarket, and a multi-
plicity of other miscellaneous sights and entertain-
ments, the frequenters of the British capital hare had
no reason whatever to complain of the paucity of
opportunities afforded them for recreation, even al-
though this is the age for the Puritanical humbug,
the dolorous piety, and the resuscitated superstition
of those unlucky wights the Sabbatarians. Added to
the exhibitions already enumerated, there have been,
moreover, numerous others of a purely artistic and
highly intellectual character. Besides the perma-
nent galleries of painting, sculpture, and curiosities at
the British Museum, Sir John Soane's, in Trafalgar-
square, and elsewhere, there have been this
season an unusual variety of picture exhibi-
tions, of ancient masters at the British Institution,
of modern masters in Suffolk-street, the Old Society
of Water Qolourists, and the New Society of Water
Colourists, the free gallery in Regent-street (for-
merly at Hyde- park corner), and the collection of
specimens of Mediaeval Art in John-street, Adelphi.
Together with all these, as we have observed, the
Londoners have had the satisfaction of familiarizing
themselves with divers remarkable quarters of the
globe through the medium of enormous moving
panoramas. Extraordinary effects had already been
produced in stationary pictures of this description.
We had 'visited the subterranean tomb at Jerusalem in
the Diorama at Regent's-park, and had been spirited
away among the exquisite lakes of Killarney, or still
more surprisingly among the frozen seas of the
Arctic regions, in the celebrated panorama es-
tablished many years ago near Leicester-square
by the enterprizl, of Mr. Burford. Actuated by
a laudable feeling of rivalry, the proprietors
ef the Polytechnic Institution have recently opened,
in connexion with that popular establishment, a hand-
some building constructed after the manner of one of
our theatres—in which were lately exhibited the ex-
quisite drawings by Mr. Allen, illustrating the
scenery visible on the line of railway conducting to
the tubular bridges erected across the Menai Straits
by the engineering genius of Robert Stephenson.
Now that those productions have been removed, we
find their place occupied by a grand moving pano-
rama (or, as it is not inappropriately designated,
" polyorama") representing, now the European, and
now the Asiatic shores of the Bosphorus and the Dar-
danelles, together with the Turkish capital, Constanti-
nople. This extraordinary picture (or rather series
of pictures) is the work of Mr. Thomas Allow, the
distinguished artist, whose rich and glowing style
as a painter has peculiarly qualified him to de-
pict the gorgeous landscapes and architecture of
the East. On Saturday we had the gratification
of witnessing the private exhibition of Mr. Allow's
Panorama of Constantinople, the Bosphorus, and Dar-
danelles, prior to its being opened to public view yes-
terday morning. A more felicitous subject for a work
of art of this description could not have been selected
at this particular period, considering the interest re-
cently excited in behalf of everything in any way
appertaining to the Sultan Caliph and his possessions.
Coming before the public so immediately after the
settlement of the question of our foreign policy by the
votes of the House of Commons on Mr. Roebuck's
motion relating to Lord Palmerston, and remember-
ing that the nature of that policy had been chiefly
marked in reference to the course adopted by our
Government towards the Cabinet of the Sublime
Porte, we cannot but feel satisfied that the Poly-
orama of Byzantine will receive a large amount
of public patronage. Beginning with the ma-
rine scenery in the neighbourhood of the classic
localities of Troy, and terminating with the
sumptuous interior of the Seraglio, the whole
series of views are fraught with attractions as
varying and brilliant as the coloured patterns of a
kaleidoscope. Yonder we behold the summit of
Mount Ida, abounding in its very name with so many
poetic reminiscences from the Attic celebration of the
earliest love of Paris to the lovely chaunt of Enone,
by Alfred Tennyson—
" 0 mother Ida, many fountain'd Ida,
0 mother Ida, listen ere I die!"
Here the waters of the Mediterranean kiss the
shores of Sappho's isle of Lesbos, there those of the
piratical island of Tenedos. On one hand we observe
the town and castle of Tchadak•Kalessy, and beyond
them the hill or barrow dedicated to the memory
of the Trojan Queen Hecuba, the spouse of
Priam. The Propontis, or Sea of Marrnora ; the
Golden Horn, or Port of Constantinople ; the landing
place of Tophana ; the grim castle of Roumeli Hisser;
the sweet waters of Asia with their picturesque
caiques ; the kiosks, and the arabahs drawn by white
oxen; the fountains and hippodromes; the mosques
and the minarets ; the baths and the bazaars ; the
slaves waiting for purchasers in the market-place,
and the buyers smoking their chibouks in the divans;
the burnt column of Phidias ; the wonderful mosque
of St. Sophia ; the celebrated gateway
called the Sublime Porte ; the subterranean
palace of Ycre Batan Serai, said to have been origi-
nally supported by 1,001 columns, together with a
multiplicity of other objects flit past the spectator in
rapid succession, accompanied alternately by the
tones of an unseen piano, or by the sepulchral voice
of the invisible gentleman who elucidates the pano-
rama with his explanations. Altogether the exhi•
bition is eminently entitled to commendation, and we
doubt not will be among the favourite resorts of
those who may be in search either of instruction or
entertainment.