Description

Hekim Ismail Pasha (1807–1880), born to a Greek family from the island of Chios, was when a child sold as a slave to a medical doctor, where he learned the first steps of medicine. He studied the profession at the newly established Imperial Medical School in Istanbul and later in Paris. In Istanbul he held some prominent positions and served as chief surgeon at the Sublime Porte and the private physician to the imperial family under sultan Abdulmejid.

The translator of the text was likely Anastas Granitski (1825-1879), a writer and translator from Istanbul.

Henri Cayol – First Lithographer in Istanbul

In Istanbul, Hüsrev Pasha’s lithographic press at the Ministry of War from 1831, with its first book produced in the same year, was one of the first functional lithographic presses in the Islamic World, after the Bulaq (1822) and Indian presses (1827).

The new Pasha’s printer and lithographer was Henri Cayol, a lawyer from Marseille, who opened the lithographic press together with his cousin Jacques Cayol. The modern printing equipment was imported from Paris.

The lithographic press was running in the building of the Ministry of War from 1831, when they published this first book, titled Nukhbat al-talim (The Elite Education) with 79 charts representing for training the battalions, to 1836, when Hürsev Pasha was removed from the office. During these 5 years, 50 soldiers were trained by Cayol at the press to learn the technique of lithography.

In 1836, Henri Cayol, still under Hürsev Pasha’s wing, opened a lithographic press near the French Embassy, where he worked until his death from cholera in 1865. This period of Cayol’s work, when also our broadside had to be made, is still very insufficiently documented.

Cayol’s lithograph shop was after his death taken over by his apprentice Antonije Zelić, a Croatian, born in Brela, Dalmatia in 1820, who moved to Istanbul 1840 for economic reasons. After learning the craft of lithography from his teacher, Zelić opened his own shop in 1855.

The lithography in Istanbul was scarce and expensive to make, as the stones had to be imported until 1892, when they discovered appropriate stone south of Istanbul. More common, especially for the religious prints was much cheaper photolithography.

All the books from the Cayol’s press are exceedingly rare.

A Note on Rarity

We could not find any institutional examples on Worldcat.

A scan of only Bulgarian part is available online: iLib – Навигатор (libraryvt.com)

References: Valerii Pogorelov, Opis na starite pechatani Bulgarski knigi (1902–1877), no. 153.