Page 123 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent

a stamp belonging to either Selim I or Süleyman. 37
Scrolls with the rumis, hatayis, and cloud bands used in
manuscript illuminations produced in the nakka^hane were
also applied to gilded copper and brass objects. One of the
earliest of these is a single-handled tankard (53).
This type of drinking vessel, called hanap, was popular in
the second half of the sixteenth century and produced in
gem-encrusted jade and underglaze-painted ceramics; it was
also copied in Hungary, as in the famous metal example from
38
Eger. The vessel, whose shape most likely derives from Eu-
ropean models, is thought to have been used for boza, a
milky drink made from fermented millet. One of the earliest
in the series is this example, which may have been based on
gold or gilded silver models that have not survived.
The tankard is decorated with a tripartite composition. In
the center of the body are three lobed oblongs linked to two
trefoils formed by pairs of large rumis that extend from the
rim and the base. The oblongs enclose incised inscriptions
that repeat in Arabic "everlasting glory and prosperity," a
52. Gilded silver jug stamped with the seal of Sultan Selim I (?), benediction used on Islamic metalwork since the eleventh
second quarter sixteenth century (London, Princess Esra Jah century. Scrolls with hatayis, leaves, and other blossoms fill
Collection)
the trefoils between the rumis. Large lobed ovals linked to
two-lobed lozenges extending from the rim and base appear
between the oblongs. The ovals enclose a central cypress tree

tayis; inside the foot ring is a multipetaled blossom. The
dragon on the handle is decorated with a floral cartouche, its
tail fanning out with pierced rumis.
The lid with a crenellated edge, added in the seventeenth
century, is attached to the handle with a chain. On the rim of
the jug is zigzag scraping, possibly to remove some silver for
testing; on the handle is a stamp, which is illegible.
A second, slightly smaller jug without a lid (52) bears a
combination of rumi and hatayi scrolls on both the neck and
body; those on the neck show rumis and buds, whereas the
ones on the body have composite leaves and blossoms. The
scrolls contain elements larger than those on the Victoria and
Albert piece, and create overlapping S-shaped volutes instead
of intersecting one another to form cartouches. The dragon
handle is also less elaborate, with a simple split-leaf terminal.
Stamped on the rim is a seal that has been tentatively identi-
fied as that of Selim I.
Assay marks on metal objects are very difficult to read,
since the stamping was frequently irregular and registered
only a portion of the inscription. In addition some sultans
had the same name, thus making it impossible to distinguish
"Süleyman b. Selim" from "Selim b. Süleyman" when only
part of the seal is visible on the objects. The stylistic features
of this jug date it to the second quarter of the sixteenth cen-
tury, since it bears the same elaborate floral motifs found in 53. Gilded copper-alloy tankard, second quarter sixteenth century
tugras of the period. A similar style of decoration appears on (Baltimore, The Walters Art Gallery, 54.512)
a lidded jug in the Hermitage, which contains in its foot ring

122