Today at the Sotheby’s Orientalist Art auction in London, Osman Hamdi Bey’s 1881 painting titled Preparing Coffee, believed to be lost for over a century, was sold for £1.016 million to an anonymous buyer.

The artwork depicts two young women washing their hands before serving coffee, in a richly decorated, imagined harem interior reminiscent of Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace. The scene captures intricate architectural elements such as tiled walls and elegant columns, and the inscription in kufic script at the top reads: “My success is only with the help of Allah,” a quote from Surah Hud, verse 88 of the Qur’an.

The painting was photographed in 1881 by the Sébah & Joaillier studio, and its glass negative was preserved in the archive of the German Archaeological Institute in Istanbul. However, the location of the original painting remained unknown until recently.

According to BBC Turkish, the painting was first acquired in the 1910s by Georgian art collector Prince Sadiq Yadigarov, passed on to his son Archil, and later entered a Viennese private collection through marriage. It remained in that family’s possession until 2008.

Claude Piening, Sotheby’s Senior International Specialist in European Paintings, called the work’s rediscovery an “unexpected find.” He explained that the painting likely traveled from Istanbul through Georgia and Azerbaijan to Vienna, and eventually to the UK. The piece, signed and dated in Latin letters, was probably intended for a European collection rather than a local Turkish audience. Piening described it as “a very, very beautiful painting,” emphasizing its respectful depiction of the space and ritual.