Palace of Gold & Light: Treasures from the Topkapi, Istanbul - Page 2
The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DCThe Topkapi Palace was built by Sultan Mehmed II, the Conqueror, after vanquishing Constantinople, the last outpost of Christianity in the East, in 1453. The Sultan made it the capital of his extensive Ottoman Empire, building the palace on an elevated site situated at the confluence of three bodies of water: the Bosporus, the Golden Horn and the Sea of Maramar. Initially called the New Imperial Palace, it later became the Topkapi Sarayi - the Palace of the Cannon Gate.
Surahi or long-necked bottle in zinc (tutya) covered with jewels. This may have been a gift from the Shah of Persia to a 16th century Ottoman ruler, although it could also have been made in Istanbul.
These almost unimaginably splendid treasures were the ruling Sultan's day-to-day trappings during the peak of one of the world's most magnificent empires. At its height of power in the 16th century, the Ottoman dynasty of the Topkapi Palace ruled an empire spanning three continents with subjects in Europe, Asia and Africa for a period of almost 400 years.
Gilded glass mosque lamp or kandil. This rare object, probably created in Istanbul in the first half of the 16th century, would hold a lighted wick floating in oil, producing a soft and golden light. The small loops of glass on the sides enabled the lamp to be hung from the ceiling of a mosque to illuminate the first and last prayers of the day, held before sunrise and after sunset.
Their glorious reign began to disintegrate and eventually dissolved completely during the upheavals of World War I, after which it was replaced by the government of the Republic of Turkey. It is now difficult to imagine, in light of recent history in areas which once made up this empire, such as Bosnia and Kosovo, that such magnificence and grandeur ever existed. One can open a history book and read about it, but seeing the actual objects worn and used by the Sultan and his entourage firsthand vividly bring that bygone era back to life.
18th century Ottoman velvet cushion cover or yastik, woven in Bursa, the old Ottoman capital and silk-weaving center in Asia about 40 miles from Istanbul. The detail shows a tulip, the Turkish flower par excellence. Such cushions, almost always woven in pairs, decorated the divans or sofas that line the interior of the Baghdad Kiosk and the Revan Kiosk in the Palace, and are a feature of all Ottoman interiors.
Part of the current renewed interest in the Topkapi Palace and its treasures is a result of the devastating earthquake of August, 1999 which rocked western Turkey, killing thousands. Only minor damage occurred to the museum, but the incident provided a new awareness of its historical and cultural significance. A robbery, following closely on the heels of that calamity, further amplified the concern. Thanks to the generosity of the Republic of Turkey in sharing this collection, many more will be able to view the Ottoman Empire in a new light, as one not only at the height of its military and administrative capabilities, but also as a civilization at its cultural zenith, when beauty and refinement truly rendered the Topkapi a "Palace of Gold & Light."
Carved rock-crystal matara or water canteen in the shape of a goatskin water-bag. This 17th century object recalls the nomadic origins of the Ottoman Dynasty, mimicking in precious materials the water-bags that were carried by every nomadic Turkic warrior.
Palace of Gold & Light: Treasures from the Topkapi, Istanbul will be on view at The Corcoran Gallery of Art until June 15, 2000, after which it will travel to The San Diego Museum of Art (July 14 - September 24, 2000) and to the Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale (October 15 - January 14, 2001). The exhibit has been organized by the Palace Arts Foundation and was primarily curated by Professor Tulay Artan (Berktay), a social historian at Istanbul's Sabanci University and specialist in 18th century Ottoman social and cultural history.
For more detailed information and a virtual gallery of other items on exhibit, visit the Corcoran Gallery of Art website at http://www.corcoran.org/virtualgallery/museum_exhibitions/index.htm
Photo credits for images: Hadiye Cangokce, photographer, and the Topkapi Palace Museum courtesy of the Palace Arts Foundation and Ministry of Culture, Republic of Turkey.
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.
Click here to go back to Page 1
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
