Page 88 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent

Mehmed II, who had invited several Italian artists to his appearance in a most appropriate manuscript, the official bi-
court, including Gentile Bellini and Costanza da Ferrara/ 6 ography of the sultan, the Süleymanname of Arifi.
whose styles had a brief impact on the works of their Turkish Arifi (died 1561/1562) was the first §ahnameci whose
contemporaries. works were illustrated, and set a precedent for future court
Nigari's portraits are purely in the Ottoman tradition, biographers by employing an exclusive group of artists. His
showing no vestiges of these earlier works. Although he text, written in Persian verse following the meter of Firdausi's
made copies of European portraits—such as his versions of §ahname, was also used as a model in later years. The post of
portraits of Francis I and Charles V by Clouet and Cranach— the §ahnameci, established by Mehmed II, gained considera-
his own style remained untouched by European traditions. 77 ble importance after the reign of Süleyman and was occupied
The genre of documentary painting established by Nasuh by such great historians as Lokman, Talikizade, and Nadiri,
and the interest in portraiture promoted by Nigari were soon whose works were profusely illustrated both by nakkachane
absorbed into the repertoire of the artists of the nakkachane, and non-nakka§hane artists.
who were themselves beginning to formulate indigenous Arifi was formerly in the service of Elkas Mirza, the brother
styles in the 1530s, as observed in the works of Nevai dis- of Tahmasp and the governor of Shirvan, and came to Istan-
cussed earlier. The synthesis that took place made its initial bul in 1547 when his master fled to the Ottoman capital after