Giuseppe Bonito was a student of Francesco Solimena (1657-1747) and a follower of his artistic idiom. This can be seen in the decidedly Baroque appearance of his early mythological and religious works, which later led to an amiable, colourist Rococo style. Bonito specialised in genre paintings and portraits, and the present canvas is a fine example of his skills. It is especially attractive as a historical document of diplomatic relations between two Mediterranean states, and reflects the sartorial customs of subjects from the Sublime Porte. As such, this work is a polished example of Bonito’s approach to portraiture, halfway between the realism of the seventeenth century and the decorative tastes of the eighteenth century, with its fondness for exoticism from remote countries and idiosyncrasies that contrast with those of western Europe.

Bonito’s acute powers of observation displayed in this work surpass the norm for the sort of solemn and sometimes hieratic renderings of palace images he produced in abundance for Naples’s Bourbon monarchs Charles VII and Ferdinand IV. His close examination of his models brought out their individual personalities, at odds with the refined setting of one of the most brilliant Italian courts from the end of the modern era. Bonito’s solid craft, characterised by a certain monumentality that does not impede his predilection for details, is adequately expressed here, emphasising volumes without losing itself in the execution of excessively detailed motifs. The composition’s expressive strength lies in a precise rendering of each protagonist’s features, resulting in a number of well-differentiated likenesses which emphasise racial differences among the inhabitants of that period’s Turkish Empire. The diverse postures and expressions, the play of glances and unexpected presentation for works of this type bring freshness and immediacy to the scene. Moreover, the fluid touch and elegant palette employed are typical of Bonito’s vast oeuvre -in fact, he received permission to paint at court thanks to this very work, despite the fact that he was not appointed court painter until ten years later.

This painting entered Spain’s Royal Collection via Elizabeth Farnese, King Philip V’s second wife. The inventory that followed the King’s death places it in the Royal Palace at La Granja de San Ildefonso, Segovia, but its origins are Neapolitan. It was painted there in 1741 when commissioned by Charles VII of Bourbon, who was then king of Naples. Later, between 1759 and 1788, Charles VII ruled Spain as Charles III. He must have sent this work to his mother sometime after its completion, probably to inform her of his reception of Hagi Hussein Effendi, the Ottoman Sultan’s ambassador, on 30 August 1741. This political ceremony would have served to emphasise good relations between the two states, and must certainly have had powerful social repercussions.

There are two undated copies of this same canvas, one at the Royal Palace of Ajuda, Lisbon, and the other at the Royal Palace in Naples (Luna, J. J.: Italian Masterpieces. From Spain´s Royal Court, Museo del Prado, 2014, p. 260).