Timurid jade

This jade jug was thought to have been made during the Timurid era in India, the 15th century C.E. It had been carved with the dimensions of 10.1 cm high by 15.1 cm wide and a depth of 13.2 cm and with a Chinese dragon handle, similar to other Timurid handled cups and jugs. It is currently on loan to the Freer and Sackler Museum.

This 15th century jade jug was made specifically for Ulugh Beg in Samarkand. The inscription around the neck gives his titles. Later in the 17th century it was in the treasure collection of the Mughal ruler Jahangir, with his name and titles added to the inscriptions along with his son and heir Shah Jahan. The jug is currently in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum.

This cup was also made for Ulugh Beg, with an inscription bearing his name next to another saying

The generosity of God is infinite.

Also made in Samarkand, the cup is 7.3 cm high, 19.5 cm wide with a depth of 12.4 cm. There is a repair made in silver done during Ottoman times. The cup is currently in the British Museum. More views can be also be seen.

Recommended reading
Jade– Encyclopedia Iranica.

BBC- History of the World: Jade dragon cup.

Only the Best: Masterpieces of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum– edited by Baetjer, K. & Draper, J.D., Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2000.

Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in the Metropolitan Museum– edited by Ekhtiar, M., Soucek, P., Canby, S., & Haidar, N., Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2011.

Jade edited by Roger Keverne, Anness Publishing Ltd, New York, 1991.

An Ottoman jug

This jug was made in the 16th century C.E. Made of nephrite (jade) and inlaid in gold in scrollwork designs.
The jug is 9.2 cm tall, with a width of 10.9 cm. The handle of of an animalistic style. The jug is in the Freer and Sackler Museum with a HD zoom available through Google Arts & Culture.

Ottoman children’s Memento Mori

In 1595, Mehmet III in taking the throne of his father Murad III, ordered the execution of his 19 brothers. While this was done to stop any civil turmoil over the inheritance of the throne, it caused a backlash and was never repeated.

These kaftans were placed over the grave of the boys.
This kaftan is 83 cm high, with a hem line of 78.2 cm. It is made of brocaded silk with zigzags filled with cintāmaṇi. It is in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

This kaftan is is brocaded silk and gold wrapped thread in roundel patterns. The kaftan is currently on display in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

This kaftan has a height of 79.8 cm and a hem line of 79.8 cm. It is currently in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

This kaftan has a height of 76.7 cm and a hem line length of 50.2 cm. It is made of silk lampas, with metal wrapped silk thread woven throughout. It is currently in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

This kaftan is a silk lampas weave in a tiger stripe pattern. It has a length of 71 cm and a hem line length of 78.5 cm. It is currently in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Recommended reading
The Renaissance and the Ottoman World edited by Anna Contadini, Claire Norton. Via Google Books.

Courtly Encounters: Translating Courtliness and Violence in Early Modern Eurasia edited by
Sanjay Subrahmanyam. Via JStor.

Islamic textiles & dress reading list as suggested by the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The Rålamb Costume Book via the National Library of Sweden.

An exhibit in South Australia

The Art Gallery of South Australia recently held an exhibit called Paradise on Earth: Flowers in the Art of Islam.

I would like to thank Mistress ffride wlffsdotter for the use of her photos and her support of the Guild!

This dish is an Ottoman 16th century iznik.
The decoration is of a hunting dog and rabbit in an earthenware glaze.

♦

This dish is also 16th century Ottoman iznik.
The decorations are of tulips and poppies.

♦

Ebru paper marbling

Paper marbling (known as ebru) was done in Turkey and Persia in the 16th century. It was thought to have spread from the east through Anatolia from the 13th century but the earliest examples found are late 16th century. This is dated to 1540, as it was dated and signed by the artist himself. It is currently in the Topkapi Saray Museum. There is also one in the same time period in the Brooklyn Museum, though this one is Persian- The marbling is done by swirling oil pigments mixed with ox-gall in a viscose fluid (water with gum tragacanth). The paper is carefully laid on top, which means that every paper with marbling is a unique design. This YouTube clip shows how it is done- And this one- The main problem with dating the ebru paper is that the paper is used to re-bind manuscripts. So while the manuscripts could be 13th century, the binding itself (or the backing of individual pages) could be 17th or even 18th century. This picture is a Persian woman adjusting her aigrette and is dated to 1590. The ebru is a later date. The painting is in the Freer & Sackler Gallery.
Recommended reading
The Art of Marbling on The Ottomans.Org.
Ebru: The Art of Paper Marbling on MuslimHeritage.com.
Ebru (Paper Marbling) by B. Akbal-Delibas.
The Digital Art of Marbled Paper by B. Tevfik Akgun. JStor article.
Ebru: The Cloud Art by Robert Arndt. Via Saudi Aramco World Magazine.

A few Ottoman hangings

This embroidered hanging is 202 cm by 136.5 cm and made of linen embroidered with silk. It was thought to have been made between 1570-1699 C.E. The stitches used are atma, closed herringbone, double running, chain with Romanian couching used later. The hanging is made of three separate pieces sewn together after the embroidery on each piece was completed. The main design is tulips, surrounded in a cell formation with an oval medallion and blue leaves on a diagonal. The textile is in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
This is a piece of a hanging, also thought to have been made between 1540-1699 C.E. This textile is 42 cm by 55 cm, also made of linen with silk embroidery. The stitches used are surface darning on the diagonal. The design is tulips surrounded by blue hyacinths, within a hexagonal cell design of small flowers and green stems with leaves. This textile is in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
This textile is thought to be part of a hanging constructed like the first textile. The size is 119 cm by39 cm, made out of linen with silk. The stitched used are chain stitch and regular surface darning over five threads. The design is a heart medallion with a tulip and pomegranates in reserve (or voided). The medallions are surrounded by white flowers and blue leaves on the diagonal. The border (as seen around the top and the very left) is a leaf motif in blue, red, white and green. The piece of hanging is in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

These embroideries are mentioned in the book Ottoman Embroidery by Marianne Ellis and Jennifer Mary Wearden. While the book doesn’t have many close up pictures of the embroideries, there is a section in the back that gives many detailed descriptions of the different stitches and how to do them.

For those interested in Ottoman embroidery and happen to be in Washington, the Textile Museum will be having an exhibition in September about Ottoman embroidery. The Sultan’s Garden: The Blossoming of Ottoman Art will run from September 21st, 2012 through to March 10th, 2013.

Recommended reading
A Book of Old Embroidery by Albert Frank Kendrick and Charles Geoffrey Holme. This is available to download from the Internet Archive.

Encyclopedia of Needlework by Therese de Dillmont. Through Project Gutenberg.

Kohl containers

This is a Fatimid rock crystal Kohl container, made between 939–1010 C.E. The jar would have had a glass rod in it, to apply the Kohl, which was made out of burnt frankincense, almond shells or Safflower plants. This is a Mamluk ivory inlaid with niello Kohl container, made between the 14th–15th century. The applicator was attached by chain. This is an Ottoman cast silver Kohl bottle. It is dated to 1594 C.E. and was hammered and incised. The applicator stick was attached to the bottle with a chain, through the “tail” of the bird.

Taken from Museum With No Frontiers website.

An Ottoman dagger handle

This is an Ottoman dagger hilt, made out of walrus ivory. The dagger is carved with arabesque knots and foliage. The size is 10.6 x 4.6 x 2.2 cm. There is no blade on the handle and no other details about the hilt. The item is currently in the Walters Art Museum.
Recommended Reading
Metal Working & Jewelry on the Turkish Cultural Foundation.
Two Aspects of Islamic Arms and Armor by D. G. Alexander. JStor article.
An Exhibition of High Ottoman Art by Oleg Grabar. JStor article.
Paintings in Silver and Gold: The Decoration of Persian Metalwork and Its Relationship to Manuscript Illustration by Linda Komaroff.
Decorative Motifs Used on the Ottoman Flag Finials by Jaroslav Martykán. Via Google Docs.
Arms & Armors: From the Permanent Collection by Helmut Nickel. JStor article.
Oriental Metalwork in the Gambier-Parry Collection by B. W. Robinson. JStor article.

Some dances from Uzbek, Turkey & Armenia

This is a dancer named Marguerite Kusuhara doing a sufi dance.

This is Ballet Afsaneh and Miriam Peretz (see previous post Persian Dancing) dancing a Tajik/Uzbeki dance.

This is also Miriam Peretz, dancing a Tajik/Uzbeki dance solo.

This is a Russian video of a dance known as Kochari. It is a Turkish/Armenian folk dance. There are some differences of opinion on the history of the dance. If you have any information, please let me know.
Recommended reading
Ottoman period on the Pandect: the World of Greek Dance website.
On the Subject of Ethnic and Cultural Parallels:
the Art of Dancing in Khorezm and Turkey written by Inna Gorlina on the San’at Magazine website.
Turkish Folklore on the Meander Travel website.
Turkish Hamman and the West: Myth and Reality by Anna Vanzan Via Google Docs.

A Mamluk finial

This is a Mamluk finial, a decoration that would adorn a standard taken into battle. It would identify different units of warriors. This finial is made from steel, with a height of 51.3 cm and a width of 11.7 cm. It has the name of Sayf al-Din Tarabay on it and a quote from the Qur’an. Sayf al-Din Tarabay was a Syrian emir, who built a well known funerary complex in Cairo. Currently the item is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but there is not much more information there. This Mamluk finial was thought to have been a war prize from the battle of 1517 between the last of the Mamluk Sultanate and the Ottomans. The Ottomans also used finial flags, as written in the article Decorative Motifs Used on the Ottoman Flag Finials by Jaroslav Martykán. Via Google Docs.