The Tortoise Trainer

This copy is printed on %100 pure Silk and framed on 38" X38" square.

The Tortoise Trainer (Turkish: Kaplumbağa Terbiyecisi) is a painting by Osman Hamdi Bey, which was created in 1906 and 1907 (two versions). In 2004 it was sold for $3.5M and is currently displayed at the Pera Museum in Istanbul.

In the Tortoise Trainer, Osman Hamdi Bey critisizes the slow and ineffective attempts at reforming the Ottoman Empire, through the attempts of an anachronistic historical character to train tortoises.

In another fun story, candles placed on turtle’s shell, and have them travel freely around the Palace to lighten the corridors and rooms. And the man in the picture is trains and takes care of turtles.

The original painting is at the Pera Museum in Istanbul.