Ottoman Art and Culture

Ottoman Art and Culture

Introduction:

At the time of its establishment in the early 14th century, the Osmania or Ottoman state was one amongst many small territories that emerged as a consequence of the breakdown of theSeljuq sultanate in Anatoliaand successive instability triggered byMongol rule. This developing Ottoman state, situated on the frontiers of the Islamic world, progressively absorbed formerByzantineregions in Anatolia and the Balkans. In 1453, this growth culminated in the Ottoman capture ofConstantinople. With the overthrow of theMamluk Empirein 1517, the Ottomans governed the most powerful state in the Islamic world. By the mid of the 16th century, continued military success in an area spreading from Central Europe to the Indian Ocean gave the Ottomans the rank of a world power. (The Art of the Ottomans before 1600).

Art and Culture:

In the arts, there is a scarcity of existing objects from the early Ottoman period, but it is obvious from surviving buildings that Byzantine, Mamluk, and Persian civilizations were integrated to form a conspicuously Ottoman artistic vocabulary. Noteworthy changes came about with the creation of the new capital in former Byzantine Constantinople. After the takeover,Hagia Sophia, the great Byzantine church, was converted into an imperial mosque and became a home of inspiration for Ottoman architects. (The Art of the Ottomans before 1600)

Mehmed II visualized the city as the focus of his growing world empire and began a determined rebuilding program. He commissioned two palaces (the Old and the New, Topkapi, palaces) along with a mosque complex (the Mehmediye, later Fatih complex), which united spiritual, instructive, societal, and commercial functions. In his directives, Mehmed drew from Turkey, Perso-Islamic, and Byzantine artistic collections. He was also fascinated by developments in Western Europe. Iranian, European and Ottoman artistes and scholars gathered to Mehmed's court, making him one of the supreme Renaissance patrons of his time. (The Ottomans)

Under Mehmed's heirs, his eclectic style, reflective of the diverse heritage of the Ottomans, was gradually incorporated into a uniquely Ottoman artistic vocabulary. Additionally geographic expansion brought flourishes to this vocabulary. Most considerably, the triumph against the Safavidsat a battle in eastern Anatolia (1514) and the addition of Mamluk Syria, Egypt, and theHoly Cities of Islam(Mecca and Medina) to the Ottoman territory under Selim I ("the Grim," r. 1512–20), led to the higher presence of Iranian and Arab artistes and intellects at the Ottoman court. (The Art of the Ottomans before 1600)

Thetime period of Suleiman(popularly known as "the Magnificent" or "the Lawmaker"), often regarded as a "Golden Age," was well-defined by geographic expansion, trade, and commercial growth, as well as national and artistic activity. The age of Suleiman (r. 1520–66) beheld the zenith of Ottoman art and culture. Amongst the most outstanding accomplishments of this period were the mosques and religious centers built by Sinan (1539–1588), one of the most famous Islamic architects. Hundreds of community buildings were designed and built throughout the Ottoman Empire, contributing to the propagation of Ottoman culture. In the time, following Suleiman’s death, architectural and creative activity was resumed under patrons from the majestic family and the ruling elite. Commissions sustained outside the grand capital, with many religious foundations established across the kingdom. (The Art of the Ottomans before 1600)

During the late 15th and 16th centuries, improvements occurred inevery artistic field, with those in construction,calligraphy,manuscript painting, fabrics, and porcelains being predominantly significant. Apart from Istanbul, various cities in the provinces were also accepted as major artistic and commercial centers: Bursa forsilksand textiles, Cairo for the manufacture of carpets, Iznik was famous for ceramics and Baghdad for the skills of the book. Ottoman visual culture had an influence in the different regions it ruled. In spite of local variations, the inheritance of the sixteenth-century Ottoman artistic custom can still be perceived in monuments from the Balkans to the Caucasus, from Crimea to Yemen and from Algeria to Baghdad, that include signature elements such as hemispherical domes, slim pencil-shaped minarets, and walled courts with domed entrances. (Art of the Ottomans (before 1600), 2011)

Tile: Arabesque decoration, early 15th century; Ottoman Anatolia; Engraved, glaze-painted, and gilded earthenware. This tile matches a boundary frieze adorning the portal of the tomb of Sultan Mehmed I (r. 1403–21) in Bursa, where monuments were severely damaged in an 1855 earthquake. It has a deeply engraved pattern of matrixes formed by pairs of undulating vine scrolls that meet at regular distance along the centerline. The interweaving of the arabesque lattices is complex, but clarity is attained through the use of unlike colored glazes. The tile preexists the period, later in the fifteenth century, of extensive Chinese influence on Ottoman Turkish ceramics.

Velvet fragment: late 15th–early 16th century; Ottoman Anatolia (Bursa) Silk and metallic thread. A widespread pattern in Turkish ornamental arts, mainly textiles, was the cintamani ("auspicious jewel"). Of Buddhist origin, it consists of 3 balls or circles, originally indicating pearls, and a pair of curvy bands, indicating flames or waves of the sea. In Ottoman Turkey, the implication had evolved into a token of good luck, with a recommendation of strength and courage through relationship with tiger stripes and leopard spots. Possibly this is the type of fabric called pelengi ("leopard-like") in early Ottoman sources.

This manuscript of Khusrau and Shirin, one of the books of the Khamsa, was recorded in Persian during the author's lifetime. This portrait, one out of seven in the manuscript, displays the Iranian prince Khusrau hunting with his mates. Ottoman painting through the reign of Bayezid II (r. 1481–1512), who was a great patron of the arts, was still in a foundational state, with inspirations coming from both East and West. The style derives basically from the Turkman style of southern Iran. The energy of the figures and variety of flying birds indicate the interest in realism that would develop a hallmark of Turkish painting in the sixteenth century. (NEUMEIER)

Tughra (Imperial Cipher) of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent . The Ottoman tughra is a calligraphic symbol of the sultan's authority that was involved in all official documents, such as firmans , endowment papers, letters, and coins. Used by the first Ottoman sultan in 1324. It comprises of the name of the ruling sultan, his father's name, his title, and the expression "the eternally victorious." (Art of the Ottomans (before 1600), 2011)

Mirror: second quarter of 16th century; Ottoman Turkey Iron, gold and ivory. The handled mirror has been made for times in the Near East, and many samples exist from the Islamic period. The polished, shiny side of this mirror has touches of gold inlay along the edges. On the posterior, dense coiled scrolls sprinkled with flowers, leaves, and arabesques revolve from the six-pointed star placed in the center of the polylobate medallion.

Prayer carpet: late 16th century; Ottoman Attributed to Bursa or Istanbul, Turkey Pile weave, wool and cotton pile on silk foundation, 288 asymmetrical knots per square inch. This exceptional rug is one of a small group of Ottoman court prayer rugs presenting a prayer place, or mihrab, with architectural components such as columns and capitals. It is one of the primary examples of the triple-arched prayer place. (Art of the Ottomans (before 1600), 2011)

Interpretation and Analysis

The Ottoman Empire can be related with many features normally attributed to human civilization. Its beginning in Asia and diffusion into Europe lands added further qualities to that tri-continental empire, the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans’ Turkic inheritance and their collaboration with Persian and Arabs strengthened the stuff of acceptance, accommodation and understanding. As a result, the Ottomans contradicted the practice of ‘elimination’ and ‘exclusion’, in the perspective of “us and them”. On one hand, they used weapons and artillery against their rival powers to broaden their realm of influence. On the other hand, the principal power in the Ottoman Empire used high moral codes and principles vis-a-vis its subjects and their traditional socio-cultural establishments. The Ottoman Empire made it possible for the cohabitation of people of dissimilar religions, cultures and customs while such coexistence was not seen anywhere else in Europe but the boundary between Muslims and non-Muslims existed; and religious difference wasrecognized. The Ottomans’ intelligent mind was based on the rich inheritance of preceding Islamic tradition.The Ottomans had no ethnic arrogance or special national distinctiveness. They established their empire by uniting Balkan Christians, Anatolian Muslims, Arabs and Jews under their rule and by sharing power with them. It is rightly said that “ the Ottoman Empire was tolerant of other religious and its Christian and Jews subjects lived, on the whole, in peace and security” (Lewis 1961: 14) (tarafindan, 2011)

Bibliography

Art of the Ottomans (before 1600). (2011, october). Retrieved from islamic Arts ans Architecture: http://islamic-arts.org/2011/art-of-the-ottomans-before-1600/

NEUMEIER, E. (n.d.). Review of Ottoman Painting: Reflections of Western Art from the Ottoman Empire to the Turkish Republic. Retrieved from AMCA: http://amcainternational.org/review-of-ottoman-painting/

tarafindan, y. u. (2011, august). Multi-Culturalism in the Ottoman Empire and its Effects on the Ottoman Social and Intellectual Life. Retrieved from aksi Tarih: http://www.aksitarih.com/multi-culturalism-in-the-ottoman-empire-and-its-effects-on-the-ottoman-social-and-intellectual-life.html

The Art of the Ottomans before 1600. (n.d.). Retrieved from heilbrunn timeline of Art history: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/otto1/hd_otto1.htm

The Ottomans. (n.d.). Retrieved from museum with no frontiers: http://www.discoverislamicart.org/gai/isl/page.php?theme=10