OTTOMAN TURKEY, THE FIGURE EARLY 17TH CENTURY, THE FLORAL STUDY EARLY 18TH CENTURY

In some ways this painting recalls the style of the court artist Levni (Abdülcelil Chelebi, active under the patronage of Sultan Ahmed III, r. 1703-30), who became perhaps the greatest exponent of the ‘Tulip Period’ – a moment in Ottoman history given to pleasure and extravagant living. Born in Edirne, Levni began his career as an illuminator and decorator, but became known for the painting of portraits. His most important work is the Surnama of Vehbi, which he began in 1720, the year he was made naqqash bashi, but most characteristic amongst Levni’s works are a series of single figures prepared for albums. Atasoy and Çagman write that Levni was naturally perpetuating both the art of album making and the great popularity of single figure studies, both of which were established in the context of Ottoman miniatures at the beginning of the 17^thcentury (Nurhan Atasoy and Filiz Çagman, Turkish Miniature Painting, Istanbul, 1974, p.76).

In the overall finesse of our painting, as well as some of the smaller decorative details, it relates more closely to earlier Ottoman painting. The black arabesque for instance, which here decorates the figure’s turban, is very similar to that which decorates the gold cushions in a series of paintings depicting the Ottoman sultans, painted circa 1600-1610 (one published Edwin Binney, 3^rd, Turkish Miniature Paintings & Manuscripts from the Collection of Edwin Binney, 3^rd, exhibition catalogue, Los Angeles, 1973, no.23, p.72 and another in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, acc.no.44.30). In some ways the stance of this figure, the long wavy hair and the costume including the fur-lined turban are all strongly reminiscent of Safavid single figure studies, of the type associated with artists such as Reza ‘Abbasi. Atasoy and Çagman write of albums, painted in the reign of Ahmed I (1603-17), that included paintings copying the subjects popular in contemporary Persian schools, depicting single figures on a flat background with a great emphasis on their costumes (Atasoy and Çagman, op.cit., p.66). It feels likely that this painting was originally intended for one such album.

The Ottoman love for flowers dates back to the period of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent (d. 1566). Philippe du Frensne-Canaye, who visited Istanbul in the second half of the 16^th century noted, ‘the magnificence of the blue, yellow and red flowers in the gardens of the dwelling of Ibrahim Pasha on the Bosporus is a wonder to behold. The Turks love flowers. They will always carry one about held in their hand or set in their turban’ (quoted in Nurhan Atasoy, A Garden for the Sultan. Gardens and Flowers in the Ottoman Culture, Istanbul, 2002, p.65). The flowers seen in the vase here recalls the style of Kara Memi, who was named nakkash bashi in 1557-58. His innovative style introduced a new naturalistic concept into the decorative repertoire of the court studio in the first half of the 16^th century, using finely drawn roses, tulips, carnations and hyacinths, each with its own mystical or symbolic significance and probably inspired by the colourful palace gardens. The depiction of flowers in vases such as that seen here is found in other Ottoman paintings. A miniature of a gathering presided over by Sultan Murad IV (r. 1612-40), in an album in the Topkapi Saray Museum Library, includes a table set with three vases, each containing large bunches of flowers similar to those seen here (TSM H2148, p.11v; published in Nurhan Atasoy, A Garden for the Sultan. Gardens and Flowers in the Ottoman Culture, Istanbul, 2002, pl.69, p.70).

The verso of our album page had an elegantly drawn painting of a red flowering plant, possibly a poppy. In some ways this depiction relates to the work of Ali Üsküdari, an artist who, like Levni, was also active under Ahmed III. Amongst his work was a manuscript of poetry containing thirty different flowers, each occupying a single page (illustrated Atasoy, op.cit., ills.263-81, p.171-177). The artists use of subtle shading as well as the neat folding of the leaves are both features we see on our painting. An Ottoman album of tulip paintings, with some illustrations contained within elegant marbled borders, like ours, was sold in these Rooms, 19 May 1998, lot 4.