Page 70 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent

27. Stamped and gilded leather binding from the Divan-i Muhibbi,
c. 1560 (Istanbul, Turk ve islam Eserleri Müzesi, 1962)

folios in the beginning of the volume have superimposed spi- soming fruit trees, ivy vines, and saz leaves overlaid with
ral scrolls bearing blue hatayis and gold rumis enclosing the blossoms, while the margins might be decorated with rumi or
dedication medallions, identical to the design used on the sul- hatayi scrolls, stylized designs, and çintemani patterns.
tan's tugras. The double serlevha that follows has the charac- This volume, which was completed some six months before
teristic blue oval cartouches filled with blossoming fruit trees the death of the sultan, was the last work of Kara Memi.
used on several contemporary manuscripts, including the Since the artist is not mentioned in the payroll register of
1545/1546 Koran of Karahisari (see 9a), the 1558 Sukyman- July-October 1566, he probably died shortly after finishing
name of Arifi, and the album compiled around 1560 (see49b). the decoration of his patron's poems.
The verses on the ensuing folios (26) are either separated The binding of the work, which has been removed, must
by illuminated panels or have floral sprays growing under have been just as outstanding as the illuminations. It would
them, almost engulfing the letters; the margins bear gold have been comparable to the cover of the 1565/1566 copy
drawings tinted with pastel colors. The decoration over- as well as the one on an undated version of the same text,
whelms the text. The panels between the text of a typical fo- the latter being among the masterpieces of Ottoman book-
lio may contain sprays of morning glories, narcissi, tulips, binding. The exterior (27), covered with black leather, has a
carnations, roses, and hyacinths as well as cypresses, blos- gold-stamped central medallion with pendants, corner quad-

69