Ottoman master's painting sells for $7.4M in London

By Tayfun Salci

LONDON (AA) - A masterpiece by a late Ottoman master was sold at auction on Saturday in London for over 6.3 million pounds (almost $7.4 million).

The 1880 painting, Girl Reading the Quran, was the work of Osman Hamdi Bey, a pioneer of Turkish painting who died in 1910, and was sold at the Bonhams auction house.

Art historians say the oil painting, measuring 41.1 x 51 centimeters (1.34 x 1.67 feet) on canvas, carries Osman Hamdi Bey's distinctive features and unique style.

The details of the young woman’s clothes and the environment full of colorful Islamic designs have been praised as signatures of the renowned painter.

*Writing by Dilara Hamit from Ankara