This Month in Our Gallery Palace of Gold & Light: Treasures from the Topkapi, Istanbul The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC The Topkapi Palace in Istanbul is part museum, housing a myriad of artistic and cultural treasures and part, historic architectural jewel. Buildings within the walled palace grounds feature an array of domes, turrets and minarets with entry confined to a monumental gate guarded by twin towers. Consisting of gardens, courtyards, fountains, workshops,kitchens, baths, halls, offices and residences, this complex was occupied by the Sultan and his family along with court bureaucrats, dignitaries, soldiers, artists, craftsmen and servants from the 15th to the 19th centuries.
Applique kaftan, mid-17th century, with chintamani (literally "auspicious jewels") motifs. The huge scale ofthese designs, typical of the Ottoman royal costumes, served as a means of projecting the Ottoman Sultan's image and power visually over large distances in public ceremonies with large crowds of attendants and spectators.
The Topkapi exuded power and mystery through the inaccessibility of the Sultan to outsiders, no matter how distinguished
or powerful. His living quarters, pavilions, harem and private gardens were strictly off-limits to all but a select few. The name by which the Sultan's subjects referred to him, the "Shadow of God on Earth," embodies perfectly the aura of mystery enveloping his personage.Child's kaftan or ceremonial robe of brocaded silk with the design of chintamani (literally "auspicious jewels"). The three dots of the garment, originally a Buddhist symbol from Central Asia representing three pearls and often incorporating a wavy line either representing the sea or a diving flame, became a powerful symbol of good fortune among the Ottomans. This symbol is found decorating virtually every medium inOttoman Turkish art and appears to have been used since as early as the 9th century.
The most imposing pieces in this show were originally crafted by palace artisans and then housed in a structure known as the Treasury. They provide a rare glimpse into the opulent lifestyle of the Ottoman rulers and the vast and culturally diverse empire they presided over.
Aigrette (surguc) or turban ornament with three large emeralds, probably 17th century. Worn attached to the white silk or cotton of an Ottoman turban, itself wrapped around a felt undercap. The large jewels of the Ottoman royal surguc projected royal power and made it possible to identify the Sultan from a distance in public ceremonies.
During a reign spanning four centuries, the Ottoman Sultans amassed incredible collections of art, artifacts, jewelry, furnishings and apparel created by artists and craftsmen of every stripe: writers, musicians, painters, carpenters, metalsmiths, potters, jewelers, weavers, embroiderers, tailors, calligraphers and countless others. These precious items were so plentiful, that there was even a French word coined for them: Turqueries. Examples include gold-plated "headdresses" for the Sultan's horses, jewel encrusted weapons, brocaded kaftans, sumptuous velvet cushions interwoven with gilded threads, plush carpets, extravagant wall hangings, ceramics, pottery and tiles, illuminated manuscripts - all these speak volumes of the Sultan's omnipotence.
Known as the Topkapi Dagger (1746-47), this weapon was intended as a gift for Nadir Shah of Iran by Sultan Mahmud I, but never delivered due to Nadir Shah's assassination in 1748. Huge emeralds and a small watch are set into the hilt.
This dagger was the focus the Jules Dassin film Topkapi, starring Melina Mercouri, Maximilian Schell, Robert Morley and Peter Ustinov, which featured a light-hearted (and ultimately unsuccessful) plot to steal the dagger from the Palace Treasury. Other highlights include an exquisitely crafted ebony, ivory and mother-of-pearl throne from the 16th century and the Sultan's fur-lined ceremonial robe of brocaded silk from the 15th century.
Jeweled hardstone book-binding, probably for a copy of the Qur'an (Koran). The Islamic binding consists of two covers and a pentagonal flat, so that both the bound and unbound vertical edges of pages are covered by the binding.
Click here to go Page 2 Contiuation of this Gallery Feature
The Corcoran Gallery of Art, situated one block from the White House, stands as a major center of American Art. It is a place where the past, present and future of the visual arts come to life - the past in the museum's extensive collection of American and European masterworks, the present in its ongoing exhibitions of contemporary art and the future in the classrooms and studios of one of the most distinguished colleges of art and design in the country. The Corcoran was founded in 1869 as an institution to be "dedicated to art and used solely for the purpose of encouraging the American genius." As Washington's first art museum, it ranks with Boston's Museum of Fine Arts and New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art as one of the three oldest museums in the United States. For more information contact:
The Corcoran Museum
500 17th Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20006
phone: (202) 639- 1700
website: http://www.corcoran.org
e-mail: information@corcoran.org
hours: Every day except Tuesday from 10 am to 5 pm and Thursdays until 9 pm.Tickets for this show are $10.00 for adults, $8.00 for Museum members, seniors and students. Same day tickets may be purchased in person at the museum. Tickets in advance may be purchased from Ticketmaster at 1-800-551-SEAT at any Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets are not available from the museum by phone.
For further reading see Architecture, Ceremonial, and Power: The Topkapi Palace in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries by Gulru Necipoglu, professor of Islamic art and architecture at Harvard University and one of the world's leading scholars on the Topkapi.
GALLERY ARCHIVES
Click below if you missed past month's Gallery Features.New Watercolours and Wildflower Threads K's Creations Tools of the Trade for Stitcher's Contemporary Crewel Embroidery Sampler Fest Christmas Sock Designs Part II The Mary Jane Collection Nan Halberg of Colorific Thread and Dye Works Studio Inspiration "Flower Power" Gallery of Designs
Exhibition of Original Christmas Sock and Stocking Designs
Judy Ritter
of Whiteworks Heirloom Christening GownsDaniele Bertin
the proud owner of Zip Mercerie in Le Havre, FranceThuve-Stua The mother-daughter design team of
Lillill Thuve and Anne-Stine ThuveCarol Tinson Design Booklets (England) Voirrey, Embroidery Centre, in the UK Christmas Sock Motif Contest Winners Barbara Greenberg, artist, sculptor "Lacemaker Extraordinaire", Marjo Timmers. New Caron Designer Patterns and Thread Colors
International Style Collection by Pam Davenport and new Watercolours and Waterlilies threads."Inch" Winifred Sharp
A true industry pioneer whose example and work are an inspiration to needleworkers everywhere.Nautical Contest Entries and Winner!
See the simple nautical motif transformed by these interpretations.The Breast Cancer Quilt Projects Parts I & II
"Raging Light" USA, Life Quilt for Breast Cancer CANADAContest #3 Winner and Participants
Italian Winner Giulia Manfredini, MDNorthern Virginia Chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild "Red Squared" by Stephanie Novatski
(Winner and other entries to Contest No. 2)Yarn Painting by Artist Robert Forman Karen Cohn, of Dragonfly Clothing Embellishment of, Deanna Van Assche Contest #1 Winner Roxanne Barkofsky and other contest entries The Wearable Art of, Kimberly Crum
