The Hürrem collection

“My one and only love”

By Ailene Cuthbertson. Danced by Elena Spektor.

©2017, Ailene Cuthbertson, My one and only love. Photograph, 30 cm x 30 cm
©2017, Ailene Cuthbertson, My one and only love. Photograph, 30 cm x 30 cm

Our tale begins long ago in Ruthenia (now western Ukraine) where a girl, Aleksandra, was born. But we can’t spend time with Aleksandra in Ruthenia. Crimean Tatars raided her village and took her as a slave. She was sent to the Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, to the harem of Suleiman the Magnificent, ruler of the Ottoman Empire.

In Ukraine, the kalyna bush, with its bright red winter berries, is a national symbol intertwined in legend and folklore. At this point in our story, Aleksandra could be said to be crossing the kalyna bridge, symbolising the ending of her time of youth and leaving the past behind.

She doesn’t know it yet, but she will find freedom, happiness, and love. So because this is a love story, we could also say that Aleksandra is walking down the kalyna bridge, meaning she will fall in love.

  • Title “My one and only love”
  • Artist Ailene Cuthbertson
  • Medium Photograph
  • Year 2017

Part of the Hürrem collection

A slave girl’s sultry glance and swirl of skirts captures the heart of a Sultan. Here’s where splashes of rich colour weave through one of history’s greatest love stories.

“My one and only love” is digital art, giclée printed with long-life ink on 100% cotton rag fine art paper – a high quality print that will last a lifetime.

© 2017, Ailene Cuthbertson, My one and only love. Photograph, 30 cm x 30 cm.

This print is a limited edition of 10, and comes in one size, 12″ x 12″ (30 cm x 30 cm).

Choose from framed or unframed:

Unframed, so you can choose a frame to suit your décor
$250

Professionally framed with a light frame, ready to hang
$410

What others have wondered

Why is this a print? Where’s the original?

This image is a digital artwork created on the computer, which means the original artwork is data sitting on a hard drive. It needs to be printed to bring it into the real world.

What’s a giclée print?

Giclée is a term used to refer to fine art prints made with long-life ink and paper. It means your print is gallery-quality and will last a lifetime.

For ink, I use genuine Epson high dynamic range ink – a high-quality ink that has a longevity of up to 200 years and produces sharp images with beautiful smooth tones. For papers, I chose 100% cotton rag fine art papers from Ilford. They’re a thick weight, have a clean matt surface, and are perfect for crisp detail and bright, vivid colours. And these fine art papers have no optical brighteners so colours last even longer.

What does a limited edition of 10 mean?

A limited edition of 10 means only 10 prints will ever be produced so it makes your print more exclusive. And, to authenticate your print and make it a one-off, I hand-sign and number each print with traditional graphite pencil.

If you have a question I haven’t answered here, I’m happy to help – just fill in the handy form and send me a message!

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It seems like every single picture tells not just a little story about Hürrem’s life but also conveys emotions she could feel during a particular period of her life.

Elena