Page 73 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent

ground; each plane is painted a different color and embel- embellished with gold-speckled margins, marbled papers, or
lished with clusters of flowers or floating clouds. This formu- stenciled designs.
laic division characterizes the compositions of the master, The illuminated double serlevha (30) is remarkably well
who places his active figures in the first two planes, reserving designed and executed. Above and below the almost square
the last for the spectators and commentators. His forte ap- text panels of each half are large rectangular bands, the
pears to be the representation of hunters or polo players whole encircled by a wide frame composed of reciprocal
mounted on horses drawn in various positions. arches filled with floral scrolls. The composition extends into
Another manuscript in which the same style of painting the margins by a series of finials enhanced by cloud bands
appears is the Guy ve Çevgan (Polo ball and mallet) of Arifi, and hatayi scrolls. The boldness of the blue and gold that pre-
transcribed in 1539/1540 by Mehmed b. Gazanfer in kaati dominate in these units creates a contrast to the delicacy of
talik. The work is a masterpiece of kaati writing, its folios the text panels. The text, rendered in alternating white and
gold, is pasted on pink and beige grounds with rectangular
panels inserted into the text. These panels, painted white and
gold, have arched units, echoing both the color scheme of the
text and the design of the frame.
Although most literary texts produced in the nakka^hane
combine the style of Herat with that of local origin, there are
several works that are almost identical to those made in the
former Timurid capital. One of the manuscripts displaying a
pure Herati style is the Divan-i Jami, datable to 1520. The
work contains an unusual lacquered binding decorated with
angels, and its stamped and gilded doublures show rumi and
floral scrolls. The exterior has been badly damaged with only
the flap retaining parts of the original painting.
Its illustrations have the same formulaic compositions dis-
cussed earlier; they depict either an enthroned prince enter-
tained in a pavilion or a garden, or show such outdoor activi-
ties as hunting parties or polo games. The paintings merely
adorn the text and display no innovation. Their significance
lies in masterfully embellishing the surfaces and varying the
placement and groupings of the figures, while adhering to the
traditional mode of representation.
This concept of book decoration is clearly demonstrated in
the double frontispiece (31), which represents a polo game
on the left and the entertainment of a prince on the right, fol-
lowing the same composition and stylistic features observed
in manuscripts produced during Herat in the 1480s and
1490s, particularly in copies of the poems of Nevai. 59 The
decorative style of Timurid Herat was also influential in the
Safavid capital, and several manuscripts produced in Tabriz in
the 1510s and 1520s reveal a similar development.
A more typical style associated with Safavid Tabriz incorpo-
rated Akkoyunlu and Timurid elements and flourished in the
first quarter of the sixteenth century. This early Safavid court
style is also observed in contemporary manuscripts produced
in the Istanbul nakkachane, obviously executed by artists
practicing the same traditions. The most beautiful paintings of
this group are found in a copy of Firdausi's Cahname, datable
to 1520-1530. This exquisite manuscript, bound with a
stamped and gilded cover with filigree doublures, contains
two pairs of illuminated serlevhas for the introduction and
the text and a dedicatory medallion, which unfortunately was
29. Polo players from the Divan-i Nevai, c. 1530-1540 (Istanbul, Topkapi
Sarayí Müzesi, R. 804, fol. 89b) left empty. Its double frontispiece shows a hunting scene on

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