Page 39 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent

ally placed sideways on the documents and frequently have a There also exist rare oversize tugras that reveal consum-
single beyze. mate integration between the efforts of the tugrake§ and the
The Ottoman tugra was used as the coat of arms of the dy- illuminator. The earliest example belongs to Süleyman and
nasty after the eighteenth century and was employed on such was rendered in dark blue outlined with gold on polished pa-
official items as postage stamps, flags, ships, and government per (1). Its majestic format (158 by 240 centimeters, or more
buildings. The format of the tugra was also later applied to than 62 by 94 inches), harmonious interplay of vertical and
writing Koranic verses, prayers, and names of individuals. horizontal components, and diversity of decorative motifs that
The tugras of Süleyman are of two different types. The first fill the voids between the strokes indicate that a master tug-
is the simple tugra; rendered in gold or black, it appears on rake§ drew the tugra and a talented artist was assigned to
the majority of his official correspondence and fermans. The decorate it. The piece was most likely produced in 1550,
execution of simple tugras is utilitarian at best, indicating that shortly after the appearance of the naturalistic genre.
these were drawn by the ni§anci himself. Although not all Each unit of the tugra contains an independent design, its
the persons who held that post during Süleyman's long reign colors contrasting with and accentuating those in the adjacent
are known, one individual, Celalzade Mustafa Pa§a, called zones. The decoration alternates between stylized and natu-
Koca (Great) Ni§anci, is documented. This official, renowned ralistic themes that are repeated, thus creating a flowing
for his histories of Selim I and Süleyman, served first on the movement. The overall composition recalls a musical score,
staff of the grand vezir Ibrahim Pa§a. He later became the visually recalling the rhythm and harmony of a fugue.
head of the secretaries in the Divan-i Hümayun and was ap- The sere, where the sultan's name is written, is decorated
pointed ni§anci in 1534/1535; he retired in 1556/1557; he with rumi scrolls, blossoming fruit trees, and clusters of tu-
was reappointed in 1566 and died a year later. lips, carnations, hyacinths, and roses. The tug contains natu-
The nicancis were chosen for their knowledge of the §eriat ralistic flowers and trees, stylized floral and rumi scrolls, and
and kanuns and for their experience in writing and codifying cartouches composed of leaves overlaid by blossoms. The bü-
laws. It was not mandatory for them to be expert calligra- yük beyze reveals a most refined design with three superim-
phers, as can be observed in the majority of Süleyman's tug- posed scrolls showing a profusion of hatayi blossoms and
ras, which are drawn accurately but simply. buds, cloud bands, rumis, and leaves; the kücük beyze has
The second type of tugra is expertly rendered and deco- two superimposed scrolls accented by rumi cartouches.
rated, revealing the hand of a master tugrake§ who was as- This spectacular example belongs to a limited series of
sited by an illuminator. There are scores of these illuminated oversize tugras executed for Süleyman, Murad III, and
23
versions that appear at the top of fermans transcribed in di- Ahmed I, the latter signed by Hasan Pa§a. The reason for
vani script, frequently written in gold, blue, and black. The the production of these majestic tugras is yet to be properly
format of the tugras is consistent, with the same proportions understood. It has been suggested that they were made to
used for the sere, tug, beyze, and kol; the letters are rendered commemorate a specific event, but this is dubious since there
in blue and outlined in gold; and the interstices between the is no reference to such an occasion on the panels. Another
letters are decorated with a profusion of naturalistic flora and suggestion was that they hung in the Divan-i Hümayun
scrolls composed of rumis, hatayis, and cloud bands fre- chambers, but this too is not convincing. What is possible,
quently overlaid by additional floral motifs. Each unit bears a however, is that they hung in the chamber where the ni^anci
different design; some are on a plain ground, while others are or the tugrake§ worked, providing them with proper models.
placed on a gold ground. Blue and gold dominate, with One of the earliest illuminated tugras of Süleyman (2) is
touches of red usually applied to the blossoms and buds. The unfortunately undated, for the end of the document has been
illuminators took advantage of the spacious büyük beyze and lost; its stylistic features, however, suggest that it was pro-
24
filled it with several different types of scrolls that float above duced in the 1530s. This example, drawn in blue with gold
one another, interact, and create a vibrant three-dimensional outlines, has spiral scrolls with blue flowers in the kücük
composition. beyze; a scroll with gold rumis and blossoms, accentuated by
Illuminated tugras from Süleyman's reign are very impor- three blue cartouches filled with cloud bands, appears in the
tant in determining the development of the artistic vocabulary büyük beyze. Enclosing it is a triangular formation composed
of the age. Even though a number of examples, particularly of spiral scrolls sprinkled with cloud bands. The design of the
those in American and European collections, have been sepa- scrolls is identical to that employed on a group of blue-and-
rated from the fermans, those in Turkish collections are dat- turquoise painted ceramics popularly called Golden Horn
able and thus help to provide a chronological sequence of ware, since several pieces were found on the site of the
decorative motifs. It is perhaps not surprising that the major- Golden Horn (Haliç) in Istanbul (see 178 and 179). This
ity of these illuminated tugras were affixed to documents that ware, thought to have been inspired by the decorative themes
validated endowments of land and property for charitable used on Süleyman's tugras, is dated to the second quarter of
foundations established by the royal family. the sixteenth century.

38