This video focuses on two important miniature collections
of early modern Ottoman period: Surname-i Hümayun and Surname-i Vehbi.
We talk about the presence and visualization
of European Christians in these illustrations.
The Surname refers to books on festivals, organized by the Ottoman
states, generally commemorating royal births, circumcisions and weddings.
Both festivals of 1582 and 1720
lasted for days and included banquets,
parades of guilds, all sorts of competitions
and performances as well as firework displays.
The main motive behind these festivals was to demonstrate
the power of the state
to impress both the local subjects and foreign representatives.
Thus, there were always a large number of spectators and guests.
Europeans were present in these depictions, both as actors
such as performers in the spectacles and spectators,
such as foreign envoys. Looking at the way
free and enslaved Europeans represented in these illustrations
this video focuses on pictorial narratives and discusses
the depiction of Europeans by the Ottoman painters
and assess whether there are any changes
in their pictorial representations through time.
The Surname-i Hümayun
illustrates the ceremony in 1582 for the circumcision
of Prince Mehmed, son of sultan Murad III.
Sultan
Murad's reign was a time of crisis.
Besides economic difficulties, war with Persia
that had started in 1578 became destructive,
and it temporarily ended right before the festival.
The festivities of 1582 were intended to distract the attention
from these crises and entertain the population
with its displays of imperial generosity and power, as
well as to impress the great number of foreign envoys in attendance.
It lasted for 52 days and nights.
In this regard, it was the longest Ottoman festival
and it was narrated with the largest number of illustrations,
containing 427 images.
The illustrations were attributed to Nakkaş Osman and his team.
The Sultan and his court
watched these parades from royal loggia's set up in the palace of Ibrahim
Pasha on the Hippodrome Square
known also as Atmeydanı, as can be seen here in this image.
Other dignitaries and ambassadors,
including several Europeans viewed from a
three tier wood stand of boxes constructed
especially for the occasion. In the miniatures
the loggia in the lower left hand corner was always reserved
for European guests, ambassadors.
For the festival,
envoys were dispatched with formal invitations to the Tsar of Moscow,
the Emperor of Austria, the Kings of France and Poland,
and the voivodes of Transylvania, Moldavia and Wallachia,
as well as to the sons of Venice and Ragusa.
It's not clearly indicated in this Surname
which of the diplomatic representatives
attended the festivities.
Here in the parade of musicians and dancers.
We see European diplomatic representatives watching the
performance.
What interests us here is the way they were depicted. As can be seen.
they wore Western style hats in different colors.
In another scene, there was a scramble for dishes known
also as çanak yağması, which was a daily feast for the poor.
And here we have more detailed visual depictions
of the European diplomats with their long robes.
This reminds us florentine ambassador Bongianni Gianfigliazzi's
remarks on the sartorial etiquette at the Ottoman Court
Gianfigliazzi was sent by the Medici Duke to Istanbul in 1578
in order to establish diplomatic contacts
and while preparing for the negotiations, he noted that
although he would prefer to wear a short tunic as was the style
in European courts,
this would be regarded as inappropriate at Ottoman court,
as all wore long robes, including other foreign representatives.
Here we see in line with the Ottoman etiquette
foreign representatives were depicted in long robes.
In another scene in the Surname,
they were galley slaves, bringing in a mountain. These Christian
captives under the command of Admiral Kılıç Ali Paşa
constructed an artificial mountain that was filled with gunpowder.
And during the performance, they burned it down.
We not only see the European representatives
watching the performers,
but also the galley slaves as European Christians.
They can be immediately distinguished by their dress.
Unlike the case with the foreign representatives in long robes,
here, European captives were depicted in short tunics.
But in the pictorial narrative
there is no negative imagery
or depiction regarding these so-called infidels.
Now, I would like to turn to focus on the Surname-i Vehbi of 1720.
It is the last illustrated book on festivals.
It was produced during the second classical period of Ottoman history,
popularly called Tulip Period, which was known for its lively social
and intellectual life, as well as entertainments
on the shores of Golden Horn and the Bosphorus.
Although it was not the high time of the Ottoman Empire
during this period, there was a political stability.
After their defeat at Pruths in 1711,
the Russians temporarily ceased to be a threat for the Ottomans.
In 1718, the Treaty of Passarowitz, ended the wars
with the Venetians and the Habsburgs.
The Iranian front was also relatively quiet
and there were permanent embassies set up in Paris and Vienna,
which strengthened the diplomatic relations with European states.
The Surname-i Vehbi depicts the circumcision festivities
of the four sons of Sultan Ahmed III in 1720.
The main scripts is preserved in Topkapi Palace
Museum Library, including 137 illustrations.
They are attributed to painter Levni, who produced
a pictorial narrative with identifiable personages.
The 15 day long circumcision festivities took place at Okmeydanı
and the Golden Horn and ended
with the circumcision of the Prince at the Topkapi Palace a week later.
So unlike the Surname of 1582,
there were two festival sites, one on land and the other on sea.
A special place is allocated to the European ambassadors
amongst audience. As can be seen here in the image
a tent was set up for them. Here
there were French
and Russian ambassadors and they were seated in European style chairs
with their dragomans and guards standing beside.
The costumes of the European guests are elaborately depicted.
In line with European fashion
in early 18th century, European emissaries have shoulder length,
wavy hair and tight fitting jackets, black stockings,
high heeled shoes and wide brimmed black hats.
Moreover, unlike the case in 1582 Surname,
the spectators were no longer separated from the performers.
In the festivities held at the Golden Horn,
the Sultan watched the performances from the Aynalıkavak pavilion,
together with two of his princes and the Ağas. As it can be seen here,
two European ambassadors are in a separate boat,
and other guests also watched from the boats below.
The comparison of
two festivities and their pictorial representations
highlights the similarities and differences between the late
16th and early 18th century artistic traditions.
It is possible to see that Levni provided detailed depictions
in his miniatures.
His depictions are free
of stereotypes, and the portraits attain a more natural appearance.
Levni presented both artisans and officials
in their characteristic clothing
putting more emphasis on costumes than Nakkaş Osman
in the miniatures of 1580. The way foreign ambassadors were depicted
also demonstrates us the change in sartorial etiquette
and diplomatic protocol and conventions
for the European representatives in the Ottoman Empire through time.
Thank you for listening.