The Water Reservoirs, the so-called Bends, in Belgrade Forest 1744 - 1763

Johann Christian Vollerdt painted this image of The Water Reservoirs, the so-called Bends, in Belgrade Forest, using oil on canvas. The painting depicts an engineered landscape, but it is also a leisure space. The image creates meaning through visual codes associated with landscape painting of the period, a cultural reference to the value of country life, and historical associations with the Ottoman Empire, in whose territory it was made. The Belgrade Forest, outside Istanbul, was the source of the city's water, and the reservoirs were feats of engineering that also formed areas for recreation. The figures in the painting, enjoying the scene, would have been Ottoman elites, and the image promotes the idea of a benevolent, progressive empire. By focusing on social and institutional contexts, we can better understand the artistic decisions. Primary source documents help us determine who the painting was made for, and what meaning it had at the time.