Page 33 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent
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Fig.  8.  (above)  Drawing after a dragon  made by §ahkulu, first quarter
    sixteenth  century  (Istanbul, Topkapi  Sarayí  Müzesi,  H. 2154,  fol. 2a)
    Fig.  9.  (right)  Flying peri  attributed  to $ahkulu,  c.  1550  (Washington,  Freer
    Gallery  of Art, 37.7)






    painters  rather  than  an  actual building where  all the artists  new  projects,  received  their  assignments,  showed  their  drafts
    worked.  There  was,  however,  a  nakka^hane building outside  to the  nakka§ba§i,  and  turned  in  their finished works  to be
    the  Topkapi Palace in  the  eighteenth  century,  as illustrated in  compiled  into  the  volumes.  Here  they  would  have  had  access
    the  Surname-i  Vehbi  (Festival  book  of Vehbi),  dated  around  to  reference  materials and  consulted  with  the authors  and
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    1720.  This painting  shows  a  two-story  structure situated  on  calligraphers.
    the  main  road  encircling the  palace, presumably next  to  the  As  observed  in  the  registers,  there  were  a  number  of estab-
    Alay  Ko§ku,  where the  sultans viewed  processions.      lished  families in  which  the  profession  was  passed  from
      It  is recorded  that  famous calligraphers such  as  §eyh Ham-  father  to  son;  there  were as well many  newcomers  who  ar-
    dullah  were given  quarters  in the  palace  and  that  Süleyman  rived  from  such  distant  lands  as  Bosnia  and  Georgia.  The  art-
    himself  liked  watching §ahkulu  work. The sultan also or-  ists  represented  different  traditions and  approaches  to  book
    dered  the  construction  of a  special building to  be  used  by Ari-  decoration,  their  heterogeneous backgrounds  resulting  in a
    fi's calligraphers  and  painters after  reading and  approving his  phenomenally  energetic  output.
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    text. * Lokman,  the  court  historian  who  followed  Arifi,  men-  The  nakka§hane members were  assigned  a variety  of tasks,
    tions that the  nakka§hane building  was  situated on  the right  including illuminating and  illustrating diverse texts. They  also
    of  the  first  courtyard  of the  palace,  placing it approximately  decorated  the  tugras (monograms)  affixed  to  the  sultan's fer-
    in  the  same  area  as  the  one  described by  Evliya  Çelebi,  who  mans;  embellished  the  vakfiyes  (endowment  documents)  that
    states that the  artists worked  above  the  Arslanhane, a build-  recorded  the  terms  for religious,  charitable,  and  social institu-
    ing  long  since  destroyed.  It  is possible that the  structure rep-  tions;  worked  on  the  illuminations of religious texts tran-
    resented  in the  eighteenth-century manuscript replaced  an  scribed  by  contemporary  or  past  calligraphers;  illustrated liter-
    older one  dating from  Süleyman's  reign.                 ary  and  historical texts  composed  by living authors  as well as
      Since  membership  in  the  nakka§hane  reached  well over  by  classical poets;  produced  single paintings and  drawings;
    one  hundred  men  at  times,  the  structure was probably  used  and  compiled  albums  for the  imperial libraries. In  addition
    as  the  headquarters  of the  society with  only  a  few  resident  they  executed  designs  that  were  used  as cartoons  and  trans-
    artists,  the  majority of the  men  sharing studios with fellow  ferred  to other  techniques,  such  as wall  paintings, metalwork,
    painters,  working  at  home,  or,  as  mentioned  by  Evliya Çelebi,  textiles,  rugs,  tiles, and  ceramic  vessels. 14
    in  their own  shops.  The nakka§hane building  must  have   The  tugras  (see  1-5),  drawn  by the  tugrakec  (executor of
    functioned  as  a  meeting  place where  the  members  discussed  tugras),  were beautifully adorned  with  both  the traditional

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