Page 127 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent

headpiece that terminates in a palmette. The lock, made of
silver sheathed with gold, has a steel or iron interior mecha-
nism. Its key seems to be missing.
The headpiece and the finial bear an eight-line inscription
that states the lock was made for the Kaaba by Süleyman in
1565/1566. 42 Saz leaves, either overlapping blossoms or
superimposed by floral sprays, appear around the letters, to-
gether with occasional knots. Horizontal bars separate the
lines of text, and ring matting appears in background.
The padlock commissioned by Süleyman belongs to an ex-
tensive collection of similar pieces housed in the Topkapi
Palace. Many are locks and keys to the Kaaba donated by Otto-
man sultans as well as by the rulers of earlier Islamic dynasties,
including the Mamluks, who were the overseers of Mecca. 43
After Selim I overthrew the Mamluks, the Ottoman sultans
became the protectors of the holy cities and periodically sent
keys to the Kaaba to assert their suzerainty and reconfirm
their role as guardians of Islam. Most of these locks and keys
are dated and some are signed by the makers, including the
one made for Murad III in 1593/1594 by the chief goldsmith
Mehmed, which is the most elaborate example in the series. 44
Similar symbolic pieces were made for fortresses and cities.
Ottoman silversmiths and goldsmiths must have also pro-
duced the zinc vessels that were popular during the sixteenth
century. These examples were inspired by the Safavid tradi-
tion, and the earlier pieces may have been made by Tabrizi
artists. Safavid tutyas included large bottles and bowls, fre-
quently decorated with animals and inscriptions, whereas the
Ottoman examples show a preference for jugs with floral
compositions. Large versions, called gügüm, used as ewers,
and cups and plates were produced also. 45
One of the earliest examples in the series of Ottoman zinc
vessels is a lidded jug decorated with gold filigree cartouches
and floral scrolls set with emeralds, rubies, turquoises, and
pearls (56). The pearls on this piece indicate that it closely
followed the Iranian models and was among the first to be
produced in Istanbul. The settings for the stones are also in
the Safavid style, with five-prong claws to hold the gems.
The jug's neck contains six filigreed oval cartouches set
with rubies and turquoises, their backgrounds painted moss-
green in an attempt to distinguish these areas from the sur-
rounding field, which is filled with scrolls bearing leaves and
blossoms encrusted with gems and pearls. The body follows
the same decorative scheme, employing larger filigreed
panels. The cartouches of the neck and body are placed on
alternating axes, a feature commonly found on Ottoman and
Safavid metalwork.
The decoration of the flat lid, which has three cartouches,
is identical to that of the neck, except that gold cloud bands
executed in relief encircle the edge, reflecting the Ottoman

56 (above) and 57 (below). Jeweled zinc jugs with lids, second quarter
sixteenth century (Istanbul, Topkapi Sarayi Miizesi, 2/2873 and 2/2856)

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