J.M. Tancoigne was an attaché to the French embassy in Persia in 1807. During his stay in that country, he visited Istanbul three times. From 1812 to 1814 Tancoigne was secretary to the French consul in Chania. For this reason he travelled from Istanbul to Smyrna and from there sailed to the Aegean islands on a sakoleva, to finally end up in Crete.

He later published the account of his voyages, which was also translated into English. Tancoigne is less interested in antiquities than in the customs and character of the Greeks. The edition includes a remarkable folding engraving, showing a parade headed by Selim III and his suite on Bayram day. It is a reproduction of the large-format work by A.I. Melling on the same subject. In Tancoigne's edition however, the first volume shows the Grand Vizier heralding the parade while the plate in the second volume shows Janissaries surrounding the carriage of the Sultan himself.

Written by Ioli Vingopoulou