Page 184 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent

group of thirty-six kaftans, mostly belonging to children, en- preferred simple and unadorned examples, as observed from
tered the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1884. Rumored to the contents of the bohças as well as his portraits executed by
have been taken from imperial tombs in Bursa and Istanbul, Lorichs and Nigari. His ceremonial attire as a crown prince
this collection represents the diverse fabrics used in the court and young ruler must have been as superbly decorated as
during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. 38 that made for his sons Mustafa, Bayezid, Mehmed, and
Another important group of imperial Ottoman kaftans is in Selim II. It appears that the sultan preferred understated out-
the Benaki Museum in Athens, while individual examples, fits as he matured and grew older.
presented as gifts, are housed in various European royal Ottoman protocol dictated the display of luxurious gar-
collections. ments and rich furnishings that represented the majesty of
The Topkapi Palace's collection of imperial garments, in the state during official functions, and Süleyman's earlier out-
spite of problems arising from lost or mixed labels, is the fits would have followed the same decorum. It is possible that
most important single source for the study of Ottoman tex- his ceremonial kaftans, once removed from the bohças, were
tiles. 39 The kaftans of sixteenth-century sultans were made mixed up with those of other sultans and erroneously la-
from a variety of textiles, the majority of which were woven beled. The stylistic features of the fabrics used on a number of
in the imperial looms while others were purchased from Ana- examples identified as having belonged to Mehmed II, Baye-
tolian centers 40 or imported from Italy, France, Iran, and In- zid II, or Selim I indicate that they date from the second and
dia. Venetian brocaded satins and velvets were particularly third quarter of the sixteenth century, and might have been
favored and some were produced according to designs sent made for Süleyman.
by the court. 41 One of the kaftans labeled as Süleyman's was worn by him
The kaftans of the sultans began to be systematically pre- when he was a child (112a and 112b). Made of pistachio-
served after the establishment of the Topkapi Palace. The green satin with matching pants called cak§ir, its style is typi-
largest group, close to eighty items, belonged to Süleyman. cal of the inner kaftans worn by the sultan. The robe has a
Almost all are monochrome inner and outer kaftans with one narrow stand-up collar and fastens between neck and waist
or two hooded capes, short kaftans or jackets, and overcoats with corded buttons and loops, its right edge overlapping the
sewn from wool broadcloth, moiré silks, and compound sat- skirt in a diagonal; the front of the elbow-length sleeves are
ins, frequently woven with supplemental twills. There are cut out in a semicircular fashion; the side seams protrude at
also a few examples made of plain-weave silks and printed the hips and are slit at the hem. The kaftan is constructed of
satins as well as velvet, fur, or leather. Some of the satins and several sections joined together by almost invisible seams;
moiré silks are padded or lined with fur. Although Süleyman two were used for the front, each flaring below the waist and
seems to have favored pistachio-green, he also wore red, overlapping; a third was used for the back. The jutting sides
blue, navy, white, and purple in addition to black, brown, and wide sleeves were cut separately and sewn to the bodice
and pastel-colored robes. and skirt.
An inventory taken in 1760 lists twelve bohças labeled The çakçir, made of four pieces, has a white casing at the
with his name, 42 whereas the robes of other sultans did not waist to insert a cord for gathering, and is attached to white
constitute more than one or two wrappings. The contents of socks; the satin portion of the pants is padded, and white silk
these bohças were later removed, the robes relocated and cat- was used for the waistband and socks.
alogued. Some of the undisturbed bohças still retain his caps, As was customary in Ottoman kaftans, the underside of the
turban cloths, gloves, slippers, handerchiefs, detached sleeves, fabric is stiffened with starch and the robe is lined with cot-
and §alvars in addition to his nightgowns, underpants, under- ton or linen; wide satin bands of a contrasting color, mauve
shirts, leggings, padded and quilted stockings, and other in this case, are applied as facings to the neck, front, hem,
pieces of underwear. There are also wool blankets and several and sleeves. Judging from its size, Süleyman must have worn
unusual floor coverings decorated with tiger skins. One of this outfit when he was about ten years old.
them has a label stating that it was made by Ali the furrier. A second kaftan, supplied with a matching kolluk (113a
Garments identified as having belonged to Süleyman are and 113b), was made for a boy who was the same height but
mostly outfits used for daily wear and include plain robes. considerably heavier. The neck is trimmed with a narrow
Among the few decorated pieces is a cream-colored serenk band and the front fastens with buttons and loops attached to
inner robe woven with branches bearing tulips and carna- horizontal braids sewn onto the bodice; the side seams are
tions, 43 a seraser Calvar with large crescents, 44 and a pair of slightly curved and slit at the hem; a double pocket is in-
detachable kemha sleeves with saz scrolls (see 115). There is serted into the left seam. The pair of detachable sleeves,
only one ceremonial kaftan bearing his name (see fig. 18), meant to be buttoned to the shoulders of the robe, was made
and that example is made from a brocaded Italian velvet. 45 from a different bolt, since the roundels are slighly smaller
Throughout his forty-six-year reign, Süleyman must have than those on the kaftan. Both the robe and the sleeves are
worn other ceremonial kaftans even though he might have lined and faced with beige cotton bordered with blue silk.

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