Page 41 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent

3. Illuminated tugra of Sultan Süleyman from a ferman dated 1552
(istanbul, Topkapi Sarayí Müzesi, E. 7816/2)

2. Illuminated tugra of Sultan Süleyman from a ferman, c. 1530-1540
(istanbul, Turk ve islam Eserleri Müzesi, 2238)

examples of this type in Turkish, European, and American zade Selim," who was her oldest living son at the time and
collections. Although each example shows minor variations the heir presumptive. These fermans issued by Süleyman for
in the choice of designs filling the areas between the letters, his wife's endowments contain his most elaborate tugras.
there is a considerable amount of standardization in the se- Possibly the most refined example in the series is the tugra
lection and placement of the decorative themes. (3) on the document dated 1552. It is also decorated with the
The most beautifully illuminated tugras are found on a se- characteristic themes found on the examples illuminated after
ries of eleven fermans in the archives of the Topkapi Palace. 25 the 1550s. The letters are drawn in blue and outlined in gold;
Dated between 1550 and 1555, they contain allocations of gold is also used in the background of the sere, the three al-
property to support Hürrem Sultan's endowment in Jerusa- ternating semicircular units in the tug, the triangular area
lem. Belonging to a type of document called mülkname (prop- with four compartments joining the tug with the beyze, and
erty deed), they list the names of villages and orchards in Je- in the long arms on the right. The büyük beyze is filled with
rusalem, Gaza, Ramla, and Tripoli whose rents and other two superimposed spiral scrolls, one bearing blue blossoms
revenues were assigned to the imaret endowed by Hürrem and the other gold hatayis and leaves overlaid with sprays of
Sultan. In these documents she is called "the mother of §eh- flowers. The latter exemplifies the saz style of decoration with

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