Page 116 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent

Fig. 16. Gold ceremonial throne encrusted with peridot, second half sixteenth
century (Istanbul, Topkapi Sarayi Miizesi, 2/2825)

Ottoman objects are also found in European collections, in- ing the second siege of Vienna in 1683. In fact, many Euro-
cluding the collection of the Habsburg emperors, now in the pean treasuries—including those in Germany, France, Italy,
Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. A large and varied Sweden, and Denmark—contain a representative group of
group of arms and armor, dating from the sixteenth and sev- Ottoman arms and armor together with objects for personal
enteenth centuries, is owned by the Waffensammlung section use, reflecting the prolific production of the sultans'
of the museum. Some of these were presented as gifts, others workshops.
taken as booty during the long Habsburg-Ottoman wars. An The objects housed in the Topkapi Palace and other impe-
equally impressive collection in the Wawel Castle in Krakow rial collections indicate that the artists produced a variety of
contains the incredibly rich arms and armor and other items ceremonial objects as well as functional pieces for daily use.
confiscated by John III Sobieski, the king of Poland who led The most striking ceremonial item is the famous gold throne
the surprise attack in which the Ottomans were defeated dur- (fig. 16), popularly called the Bayram Tahti (throne used dur-

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