Istanbul_ The Collected Traveler_ An Inspired Companion Guide - Barrie Kerper [27]
One of the decorative styles that characterized the court arts of the age was called saz, an ancient Turkish word used to define an enchanted forest. It was originally applied to drawings which depicted such ferocious creatures as lions, dragons, senmurvs (phoenixlike birds), and chilins (four-legged creatures) in perpetual combat, engulfed by fantastic foliage bearing large composite blossoms and long feathery leaves. Also included in the repertoire were peris (fairies or angelic female figures). This imaginary world, inhabited by spirits which manifested themselves in flora and fauna, reflects a mystical approach with echoes of the shamanistic beliefs of Central Asia.
The originator of the saz style in Süleyman’s court was Şahkulu. This artist, who was from Baghdad, first worked in Tabriz, was exiled to Amasya around 1501, then entered the nakkaşhane in 1520-1521. He became its head in 1545, a post which he retained until his death in 1555-1556. Şahkulu’s drawings of placid peris and ferocious creatures in combat, and his studies of single blossoms and leaves, were incorporated into imperial albums. Their themes were employed by other imperial societies and applied to different materials.
One of the most spectacular representations of the saz themes appears on the yatağan (short sword) made for Süleyman in 1526-1527 by Ahmed Tekelü. This 66-centimeter (26-inch) ceremonial sword has an ivory hilt decorated with superimposed gold-inlaid saz scrolls, that is, scrolls bearing the same composite blossoms and long leaves found in the drawings. The upper portion of the blade shows the combat between a dragon and a senmurv in a fantastic landscape; the animals, cast separately of iron or steel and affixed to the blade, are gilded, and their eyes are set with rubies, enhancing their ferocity.
Intertwining scrolls with saz blossoms and leaves became a most popular decorative feature after the 1540s. They were applied to manuscript illuminations and bookbindings; jeweled objects made of gold, silver, rock crystal, and jade; and imperial arms and armor as well as textiles, rugs, and ceramics.
Carved in several superimposed layers, saz scrolls decorate a unique ivory hand mirror made in 1543-1544 for Süleyman by Gani. They also appear on a dazzling ceremonial kaftan worn by Süleyman’s son Şehzade Bayezit (died 1561). Woven in polychrome silk and gold thread, the textile was designed almost like a painting, without a single repetition of the pattern.
Another decorative style that originated in the nakkaşhane was created by Kara Memi, who had studied with Şahkulu and became the head of the corps after his master’s death. Kara Memi, who flourished between the 1540s and 1560s, was the promoter of the naturalistic style in which spring flowers, such as tulips, carnations, roses, and hyacinths, grew from clusters of leaves amidst blossoming fruit trees. This style was fully developed by the 1540s, as observed on the doublures, or linings, of a lacquered bookbinding used on a copy of the Hadis (in Arabic, Hadith, the collected sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad) made for Süleyman’s favorite son, Şehzade Mehmet, who died in 1543. This binding re-creates a garden in perpetual bloom filled with spring flowers and trees.
Similar themes were used to decorate a splendid Koran transcribed in 1546-1547 by Ahmed Karahisari, the most innovative calligrapher of all time. Although the layout of the opening folios and the designs employed follow traditional schemes, the two pairs of ovals flanking the text depict branches bearing blossoms growing from leaves. This theme was called bahar, meaning “spring” as well as “a blossoming fruit tree,” and was popularly used on diverse objects.
One of the favorite flowers in the Ottoman court was the tulip, which was cultivated in the