Istanbul_ The Collected Traveler_ An Inspired Companion Guide - Barrie Kerper [30]
One of these manuscripts was written by Ahmed Feridun Pasha, a famous statesman, and narrates the 1566 campaign to Szigetvár, Hungary. Süleyman was seventy-two years old at the time and in poor health, but he had insisted that he lead his own armies once again. He stopped en route to receive his vassal Stephen Zápolya, the king of Hungary. The painting depicting this event portrays Süleyman as a majestic but tired and ailing monarch. An atmosphere of solemnity—even sadness—permeates the scene, almost as if the participants had a premonition that this was to be Süleyman’s last campaign.
Arifi’s Süleymanname was concluded by Lokman, the official court biographer who replaced him and wrote the Tarih-i Sultan Süleyman, ending his text with the death of the sultan. One of the paintings in this work, which was completed in 1579-1580, shows Süleyman’s coffin being carried toward his grave, which is being dug next to the mausoleum of Hurrem Sultan, behind the Süleymaniye Mosque. This painting proves that although Süleyman’s mausoleum had been designed at the time the Süleymaniye complex, comprising the mosque and some eighteen other buildings, was conceived between 1550 and 1557, it was not built until after his death.
Lokman and the following şahnamecis produced voluminous works illustrated by hundreds of paintings depicting the activities of the sultans in detail. But no Ottoman sultan was as celebrated as Süleyman, and none provided the artists with so many glorious subjects to represent.
The artists of Süleyman’s nakkaşhane not only formulated the decorative style and themes that characterized the golden age of Ottoman art, but also re-created the life and achievements of their patron, enabling students and scholars to understand and appreciate a most remarkable man and the magnificent and fascinating age which he shaped.
A number of museums in the U.S. hold excellent Near East, Ottoman, Byzantine, or Islamic collections. Even if you missed the Süleyman or the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Byzantium: Faith and Power exhibits, the accompanying catalogs published for these exhibitions are the next best thing. And of course, visiting those museums whose related permanent collections are extensive is a great way to immerse yourself in Turkish history. Noteworthy museums to know about include:
Art Institute of Chicago (312 443 3600 / artic.edu/aic)
Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C. (202 339 6409 / doaks.org), with a Byzantine collection that is one of the finest in the world; Dumbarton Oaks completed the restoration work on Kariye Camii (Chora Church) in Istanbul as well as at Aya Sofya.
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, D.C. (202 633 4880 / asia.si.edu), with renowned Ancient Near Eastern Art, Arts of the Islamic World, and Biblical Manuscripts departments.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston (617 566 1401 / gardnermuseum.org), with an Islamic arts collection that is small but varied.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) (323 857 6000 / lacma.org), with an impressive Art of the Ancient Near East department.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (212 535 7710 / metmuseum.org), with a recently renovated Ancient Near Eastern gallery and one of the world’s finest Islamic art collections. One of the most brilliant projects the museum created is its Timeline of Art History, accessible online. The Islamic section is an excellent resource for visitors to Turkey.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (617 267 9300 / mfa.org), with an Arts of the Islamic World department.
The Oriental Institute of University of Chicago (773 702 9514 / oi.uchicago.edu), dedicated to the study of the ancient Near East; most of its objects were found during archaeological