Page 199 - Art In The Age Of Exploration (Great Section on Chinese Art Ming Dynasty)

a damascener (zerne§anci), an inlayer in metal may have been customary; the close parallels to
(kuftekdr), an inlayer in ivory or other precious the sword made by Ahmed Tekelii in 1526-1527
materials (hakkak), a jeweler (kuyumcu), and a for Siileyman the Magnificent suggest a work-
goldsmith (zerger). shop in continuous production over the course
Along the spine of the blade are four inscrip- of several decades, and even the participation of
tions, each separated by a floret. These consist of Ahmed Tekelii himself, although Hersekzade
a distych in Persian praising the quality of the Ahmed's sword is not signed. Ahmed Tekelii,
sword and a series of titles, including the name of however, may well have been an outsider. He is
the weapon's owner, 'The Rustam of the age, the listed in the palace registers only once (Topkapi
aid of the armies, the Alexander of generals " Saray Archives D. 9605; Uzunc.ars.ih 1986), yet
This was Hersekzade Ahmed (1456-1517) (Ency- his reward, 3000 akge and a medallion brocade
clopedia of Islam, 1960—), who distinguished him- robe of honor, far outweighs any given to other
self under Mehmed n, then served under Bayazid specialist craftsmen.
ii and Selim i as commander-in-chief of Anatolia Although the yatagan was not a Turkish inven-
(Anadolu Beglerbegi), admiral of the fleet (Kapu- tion it was adopted by the Turks at an early date:
dan-i Derya), and grand vizier. A Tang painting, probably ninth century (Na-
The eulogistic inscriptions are appropriate for tional Palace Museum, Taibei; Ettinghausen 1963,
a great general (which would not exclude a grand 208-222), depicts a Turkish chieftain girt with
vizier) but not for a naval commander. Although a long yatagan-\ike knife. This yatagan and
Ahmed was evidently a great administrator and one other (private collection), inscribed with the
politician, his success as a general was rather name and titles of the Ottoman Sultan Bayazid n
indifferent. A younger son of the Grand Duke of (r. 1481-1512), are the earliest surviving Islamic
Herzegovina, he arrived in Istanbul in 1472. He examples of this type of weapon. Ahmed's sword
c
was standard bearer (mir-i alarri) on Mehmed n's can be dated by its hilt, which is of the style com-
Albanian campaign of 1478. In 1481 he married monly found on Ottoman swords and sabers of
a daughter of Bayazid n, Hundi Hatun, and was the fifteenth century (see Alexander and Kalus stone or tilework, as the case may be. This was
appointed provincial governor (sancakbeg — and especially Alexander in Melbourne 1990). to establish how the lines of text would break and
suba§i in the sources, however) of Bursa and then J.M.R. to ensure accuracy; the texts were generally quo-
beglerbeg or commander-in-chief of Anatolia, in tations from the Koran and would have been
which capacity he led Bayazid's army in July 1483 90 rendered invalid by errors in transcription. The
against Bayazid's brother Cem Sultan (see cat. calligraphic bird and lion in this scroll are the ear-
91). In the spring of 1486 he commanded an expe- CALLIGRAPHIC SCROLL liest known datable examples of this type. The
dition toward Karaman and Syria, but was cap- square Kufic panel has below it a rather curiously
c
tured and imprisoned in Cairo. On his release and c. 1457-1458, or later composed craftsman's signature in nasta liq, of
Ottoman
Turkish,
return to Turkey he was made a vizier and ink and color on paper c Ata Allah b. Muhammad al-TabrizT, one of the
Admiral of the Fleet (Kapudan Pa§a/Kapudan-i page 41 x 25 (i6 /s x 9 /sj; total length 1,640 (645 /s) Persian scribes in Mehmed n's chancery, and the
l
7
5
c
Derya). In August 1488 the fleet was almost references: Istanbul 198}, J:EIO; Richard 1989, date 4 Rabi i 862 (19 February 1458). While this
entirely destroyed at Aga (^ayiri, but he was reap- 8 9~93 is no indication that all the contents of the scroll
pointed beglerbeg of Anatolia in the autumn of are the work of this scribe, he very probably
1489 and commanded an expedition to Kayseri. Topkapi Sarayi Muzesi, Istanbul composed and wrote the final panels praising
It was not a great victory but at least he was not Mehmed's statesmanship. The bars of thuluth
defeated. In 1497-1498 he was grand vizier, but Calligraphed partly length-wise and partly across inscription strongly suggest that the scribe was
was dismissed and reappointed admiral, capturing the width, this scroll appears to contain a random trained in one of the Timurid chanceries of Iran.
Lepanto in 1499. He was grand vizier from late in collection of text fragments, all dedicated to J.M.R.
1502 to 1506, and from 1512 to October 1514, Mehmed n (r. 1451-1481). The texts are virtually
c
taking part in Selim I's (^aldiran campaign. His all Arabic —Koranic ay as, prayers (du a) f or 91
dismissal so soon after the battle suggests that his hadith. The illuminated heading, in blue with
performance cannot entirely have satisfied the gold chinoiserie lotus-scrolls, is characteristic TALISMANIC SHIRT
sultan. However, in 1515-1516 he was again, brie- of work from contemporary Shiraz. It originally
fly, grand vizier. At the time of Selim's Egyptian had a crescent finial. The dedication follows in a late i$th century
campaign he was governor (muhafiz) of Bursa. pointed oval with grand thuluth in gold on blue. Turkish, Ottoman
white glazed cotton
He traveled to Egypt to congratulate Selim and At the end of the scroll are panels of assorted length: 120 (47 /4J; width 133 (52 /sj
2
3
c
c
died on the way back, old and with many honors, scripts (thuluth, ta liq, and nasta liq) in white on inscribed: in black, blue, red, carmine, and gold
in July 1517. a black ground with eulogies in Persian of Meh- with panels containing Koranic verses, magic
c
This somewhat checkered career suggests med's saintliness ( lsa dust), wise judgment (Asaf figures, and magic squares filled with numbers;
therefore, that certainly up to 1500, a splendid rayy), and Salomonic justice. (in the four corners of the square on right shoulder)
presentation sword with such grand titulature A long Koranic inscription written lengthwise, Inna fatahna laka: fathan mubaynan: wa nasara
c
would have been wholly inappropriate for Hersek- which ends abruptly, must be the pattern for an Allah laka: nasran azizan; (below left shoulder, in
c
zade Ahmed. It would most appropriately have inscription on a building. In later Islamic cultures nasta liqj Cem Sultan: Khallada Allah dawlatuh;
been awarded in 1517 on his congratulatory visit architectural inscriptions were almost always wa ayyada mamlakatuh
to Selim, who at the height of his glory could have written out by a calligrapher to scale, and often — references: Herklots 1921, 247-263; Gokyay 1976,
recognized Hersekzade Ahmed as the architect of though not in the case of the present scroll —in 93-112; Istanbul 1983, 3:£25; London 1988, 175-177
his Egyptian triumph. Such presentation swords full size, before being executed in stucco, paint, Topkapi Sarayi Muzesi, Istanbul
198 CIRCA 1492