The Influence of European Book Paintings on the Miniatures of Tercüme-i ‘İkdü’l-cümân fî târîh-i ehli’z-zamân (original) (raw)

2013, Fourteenth International Congress of Turkish Art, (Paris, 19-21/09/2011), Collège de France, Paris

Islamic astronomers did extensive studies of the fixed stars and shapes of the constellations. One of the most important of these was Abdurrahman al-Sûfî, who wrote a treatise on the subject entitled Risâlat Suwar al-Kawakib that exerted a considerable influence not only on Islamic but also European astronomy. It has many illustrated copies depicting the fixed stars and zodiacal constellations. The Tulip era (1718-1730) was a relatively peaceful period, during which the Ottoman Empire can be said to have begun to orient itself towards Europe. Under the guidance of the Sultan Ahmed III’s son-in-law Grand Vizier Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Pasha, the Ottoman Empire embarked on new policies and programs during this period, which established the first Ottoman language printing press and many European books imported. İbrahim Müteferrika received permission to publish non-religious books. Among the works published by Müteferrika were historical and generically scientific works, as well as Katip Çelebi's world atlas Cihannüma. This paper revises miniatures of Tercüme-i Ikd al-Jumân fî Tarihi Ahl al-Zaman, a manuscript on world history by Imam Kadi Mahmud ibn Ahmed ibn Musa ibn Ahmed ibn Hüseyin ibn Yusuf ibn Mahmud Bedreddin al-Aynî of Antep, known as Imam Aynî. This manuscript desribes the events of history from the time of Adam up to the writer’s own time in the 15th century, and the first section of the first volume is about astronomy. This manuscript has three illustrated copies in three different libraries; İstanbul University Library (T.5953), Süleymaniye Library (Lala İsmail 318) and Topkapi Saray Museum Library (B.274) which were translated into Turkish at the first half of the 18th century. Scribes wrote introduction giving information about the author and his book, correcting some mistakes by Aynî on the subject of astronomy, and making some additions. Each copy has 45 miniature paintings depicting the fixed stars and zodiacal constellations. These illustrations were intended to give readers a better understanding of the astronomical subjects discussed by Bedreddin Aynî. In the brief explanations at the top of each of the miniatures, scribes give the name of each constellation and, with the exception of the zodiacal constellations, the number of stars they contain. The positions of the stars are marked on the miniatures. This paper will deal with the miniatures of Tercüme-i Ikd al-Jumân fî Tarihi Ahl al-Zaman, trying to clarify the iconography of the illustrations and their connection between the European book paintings according to the interactions of cultures, their subject matter, medium and provenance.