Les eaux douces d'Asie, environs de Constantinople

Félix Ziem's view of the 'Sweet Waters of Europe' (Eaux douces d'Asie, despite the title suggesting the European shore of the Bosphorus near Istanbul) captures one of the famous pleasure grounds of Ottoman Constantinople — a tree-lined valley where streams fed by springs created a park-like environment much beloved by Istanbul's population for picnics and leisure excursions. These landscape subjects within Ziem's Turkish work show a different, more pastoral dimension of his Oriental interests alongside the more typical harbor and cityscape views.

The pastoral Turkish landscape requires Ziem to adapt his water-and-light palette to a setting defined by streaming water, trees, and the specific quality of the Bosphorus region's light. His handling of the parklike environment retains his characteristic warmth and luminosity while engaging a softer, greener landscape than his typical marine and urban subjects. The human figures at leisure — Ottoman families enjoying the traditional pleasure ground — are depicted with the same observation he brought to his Venetian and Egyptian figures.