Pin parasol à l'embouchure du Bosphore

Félix Ziem's view of the umbrella pine at the mouth of the Bosphorus (1885) depicts one of the characteristic trees of the Mediterranean and Near Eastern landscape — the stone pine whose distinctive umbrella-shaped canopy was a picturesque element in Orientalist landscapes from Rome to Istanbul. The Bosphorus shore, with its combination of Turkish architectural elements and the distinctive vegetation that marked the transition between European and Asian botanical zones, provided Ziem with an unusual landscape subject within his typically marine Bosphorus views.

The umbrella pine's distinctive canopy creates a strong silhouette element within the composition — the tree's horizontal form providing a counterpoint to the vertical architectural elements of the Istanbul skyline. Ziem renders the pine with the same warm, luminous quality he brings to all his Eastern Mediterranean subjects. The Bosphorus glimpsed through or below the pine provides the water element central to his compositional language.