Architect Sarkis Balyan in ceremonial dress

Armenian architect Sarkis Balyan (1831–1899) in ceremonial dress. In the early 1860s he became imperial architect, as his father Garabet Balyan had been before him. The portrait is dated to about 1880 and was taken in Constantinople (Istanbul).

Balyan wears a fez, and the collar and chest of his dress are covered with dense embroidery. A wide sash runs across from his shoulder, and orders are pinned to his chest.