Born into the Ottoman elite, Osman Hamdi Bey (1842−1910) never ceased to juxtapose the geographical and cultural spheres of his native Turkey and Europe, where he was trained in the studio of Gustave Boulanger and exhibited successfully. On his return, between diplomatic missions, family business and artistic endeavors, he played an active part in the emergence of an Istanbul school. The French writer Edmond About described him in 1884 as a “man of taste” and “enlightened connoisseur” of the treasures of his city. Each of his paintings demonstrates this, devoting as much effort to the principal subject as to the rich decoration surrounding it in a balance that closely resembles the studio photographs he also took. The "Young Emir Studying" draws on the Parisian masters while recalling the centuries-old tradition of Mughal miniatures in its exquisite delicacy.