Silk and Propaganda — Two Ottoman Silk Flags and the Relief of Vienna, 1683 (original) (raw)
Related papers
Threads of Symbiosis: Ottoman Silks for the Christian Market
Orientalia Christiana Periodica , 2018
This essay will offer an overview of Ottoman luxury textiles woven for the Christian market with a focus on their status as remnants of Christian-Islamic symbiosis. From the evidence available it can be suggested that these silks were probably produced by a religiously mixed workforce who catered to a Christian demand both in the Ottoman Empire and abroad. Furthermore, it will be seen that their pluralist visual language drew on elements from diverse artistic traditions, creating patterns of artistic confluence. If they were not plain, these patterns usually blended Christian iconography with Ottoman motifs. Essentially, by discussing a specific production’s context and style I intend to illuminate another corner of Ottoman Christian material culture and discuss some aspects of cultural history which arise.
The Ottomans at World’s Fairs: Displaying Imperial Patrimony
The Arabist Budapest Studies in Arabic 41, 2020
N. Ozlu, "The Ottomans at World’s Fairs: Displaying Imperial Patrimony", Papers Presented to István Ormos On His Seventieth Birthday, The Arabist Budapest Studies in Arabic 41, ed. K. Devenyi and P.T. Nagy, 2020, 121-140. https://eltearabszak.hu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Papers-presented-to-Istvan-Ormos-on-his-seventieth-birthday.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2xGdsGtpA4l1nVEGhV9L3dYz95fTMEBgdrhPE2-33V-zv8N-qqt3J8V6w
Dimensions of Transformation in the Ottoman Empire from the Late Medieval Age to Modernity, 2021
In this chapter, N. Zeynep Yelçe decontextualizes the Ottoman campaigns of 1529 and 1683 to reveal the basic features of two large military operations. The strategic decision-making underlying the two sieges of Vienna by the Ottomans are explored through the contemporary writings of Ottoman authors and then current European sources. Ottoman claims to universal kingship are traced through the two campaigns, both seemingly vindictive and punitive in their discursive justifications. While each siege has been widely studied by historians, an overall comparative view remains incomplete. This void largely stems from the conventional periodization of Ottoman history, which confines the expertise and/or interest of the historian to either the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries. Such confinement, while allowing for comprehensive treatment of a particular event, isolates the subject of study as a unique instance in time. To overcome this obstacle, Zeynep Yelçe cross-examines the strategic elements and discursive justifications involved in these sieges. She aims to to understand why one siege is hailed a victory and the other a defeat when both ended in retreat.
"Islamic art and visualities of war from the Ottoman Empire to the Turkish Republic"
New Perspectives on Turkey, 2023
This article explores how Islamic art was produced and used in Turkey within the context of modern warfare during World War I, the War of Independence, and the nascent Republic --- a subject still relatively understudied in Turkish history, as well as in international cultural histories of modern warfare and histories of modern art in the Middle East. Drawing on previously overlooked visual and textual sources such as calligraphic panels, miniature paintings, war posters, and religious timetables produced during the years 1914-1924, we examine the ways in which Islamic arts were articulated with the experience of war through both individual actions and official policies, revealing how Ottoman artists tried to make sense of war and how Islamic genres and motifs were appropriated, and sometimes subverted, in the service of the nationalist cause. We show that far from exhibiting a sharp discontinuity, the transition from Ottoman-Islamic to Republican-nationalist artistic content was gradual, involving the reappropriation and repurposing of Islamic motifs and techniques in a manner that reflected the religious mindset of the elites and masses in the early twentieth century.
Art, Patronage and Resistence - Three altarpaintings and the aftermath of the 1614 Ottoman attack
Abela Ruben (2014), The Turkish Raid of 1614, Malta: Wirt Iz-Zejtun, 2014
In 1614 the then small rural community of Zejtun (Malta) suffered a heavy Ottoman incursion which was nonetheless successfully repelled thanks to military intervention by the Order of St John. Measures of redress included works of art commissioned or presented by key personalities who experienced or were directly involved in repelling the incursion. These paintings have been studied individually within the repertoire of stylistic attributions and the town’s history. They have as yet to be studied as a group commissioned by powerful patrons in response to a historic event and their significance as altar paintings. This paper shall review the significance of this group of altar paintings and rethink their purpose, interpret details and propose new readings. It shall also articulate and underpin the significance of this cluster of commissions which can rightly be recognised as atypical paintings in Maltese art history.
Matter(s) of State. Heraldic Display and Discourse in the Early Modern Monarchy (c. 1480-1650)
2018
Heraldic images pervaded early modern politics. In particular, the king’s bearings embodied sovereignty and advanced dynastic claims. They became the stuff of legends, as well as the cause of fierce disputes. But when did heraldic adaptation occur? Why was a disrespectful treatment damaging to the political fabric? By comparing armorial appropriation in the French and Spanish monarchies, Steven Thiry challenges the dominant view of princely image control. Eagles, lilies and lions not only visualized political virtues and vices. Their visual and material dimension imbued them with an agency of their own. Matter(s) of State offers a new insight into the symbolic mindset of the political process. Mystical exaltation, subversive adaptation, and even violent »heraldic« iconoclasm appear as significant means of debating and even questioning rule.
Absolutist Displays: Ottoman sûr-ı hümâyun versus French grande fête, 2024
Recent scholarly discussions on royal weddings and princely festivals in the early modern era have predominantly centered on the European context. While contemporary research has notably enriched our understanding of Ottoman dynastic celebrations, the assessment of court cultures and festivals across Eurasia remains notably limited. This study addresses this gap by focusing on the court festivals of Louis XIV (r. 1643-1715) in France and Mehmed IV (r. 1648-1687) in the Ottoman Empire during the late seventeenth century. Specifically, this paper delves into two significant festivals: the 1674 grand celebration (grande fête) at Versailles and the 1675 imperial festival (sûr-ı hümâyun) in Edirne. The former commemorated the French military's control of Franche-Comté, while the latter honored the Ottoman forces' victories over the Venetians, Habsburgs, and Poles. Both monarchs utilized textual and visual productions to document these events, focusing on festival books and their portrayal within parallel artistic creations. Analyzing the role of "propaganda," I explore the significance of patronage and knowledge dissemination, investigating how the courtly festivals of 1674 and 1675 in both empires contributed to the development of absolutist rule, despite the economic challenges brought by ongoing wars. I propose that common political motives arose from the French and Ottoman royal festivals during this time, turning the economic difficulties into a narrative of glory. https://historiansnet.com/program-and-abstracts-2024/