DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.29463#0202
materials and the export of goods were regulated, and all defects
were eliminated. The artisans commanded the best techniques, which
were the mutual and traditional property of many Oriental nations,
and textile art, embroidery, leather decoration, metalwork, and gold-
smithery achieved the highest possible level.
In the course of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Ottoman
Turkey, with the proud ambition of leadership among the great
family of Muslim nations, elaborated an original and uniform style
visible in various fields of culture, particularly in military objects.
This style is characterized by the following features.
Perfection of shape was determined by functional and aesthetic
factors, although there was also a predilection for expressive, even
gigantic forms. If the Persian ideal lay in subtlety, delicacy, and
refined beauty, the Turks sought the expression of power, strength,
and riches. This tendency was realized in extremely large flags, in
huge tents, in broad scimitar blades with thick hilts, in powerful bows
and maces, all of which seemed destined for use by superhuman
beings.
Like other Oriental peoples, and in contrast to the colorless ten-
dency of most European military objects, the Ottomans loved color.
In the Turkish hierarchy of colors purple held the prime position as
the symbol of empire, alongside green, the symbol of paradise, and
blue, the symbol of heaven. To purple or crimson, gold was added,
producing a sumptuous effect. Precious or semiprecious stones—
especially blue turquoises and green jade but also emeralds, rubies,
almandines, and carnelians, the bearers of luck and luster—were
applied lavishly and were often accompanied by pearls. The favorite
repertory of patterns was the not very large, floral motifs of the lily,
rose, carnation, granadilla, and tulip, which appeared everywhere
beside simple geometric designs, suns, stars, and crescents. All of
these bore some clear or disguised symbolic meaning. Among these
significant and signifying designs the place of honor was taken by
inscriptions, which came mainly from the Koran.
Art well served the purposes of the Ottoman Empire. It declined
as the state declined, but the numerous objects that survived in
Turkey and beyond, thanks to their high artistic value, were valued
by museums. In this way they immortalize their creators, the great
Ottoman sultans as well as the innumerable anonymous craftsmen
who carried out the sultans' will.
178
were eliminated. The artisans commanded the best techniques, which
were the mutual and traditional property of many Oriental nations,
and textile art, embroidery, leather decoration, metalwork, and gold-
smithery achieved the highest possible level.
In the course of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Ottoman
Turkey, with the proud ambition of leadership among the great
family of Muslim nations, elaborated an original and uniform style
visible in various fields of culture, particularly in military objects.
This style is characterized by the following features.
Perfection of shape was determined by functional and aesthetic
factors, although there was also a predilection for expressive, even
gigantic forms. If the Persian ideal lay in subtlety, delicacy, and
refined beauty, the Turks sought the expression of power, strength,
and riches. This tendency was realized in extremely large flags, in
huge tents, in broad scimitar blades with thick hilts, in powerful bows
and maces, all of which seemed destined for use by superhuman
beings.
Like other Oriental peoples, and in contrast to the colorless ten-
dency of most European military objects, the Ottomans loved color.
In the Turkish hierarchy of colors purple held the prime position as
the symbol of empire, alongside green, the symbol of paradise, and
blue, the symbol of heaven. To purple or crimson, gold was added,
producing a sumptuous effect. Precious or semiprecious stones—
especially blue turquoises and green jade but also emeralds, rubies,
almandines, and carnelians, the bearers of luck and luster—were
applied lavishly and were often accompanied by pearls. The favorite
repertory of patterns was the not very large, floral motifs of the lily,
rose, carnation, granadilla, and tulip, which appeared everywhere
beside simple geometric designs, suns, stars, and crescents. All of
these bore some clear or disguised symbolic meaning. Among these
significant and signifying designs the place of honor was taken by
inscriptions, which came mainly from the Koran.
Art well served the purposes of the Ottoman Empire. It declined
as the state declined, but the numerous objects that survived in
Turkey and beyond, thanks to their high artistic value, were valued
by museums. In this way they immortalize their creators, the great
Ottoman sultans as well as the innumerable anonymous craftsmen
who carried out the sultans' will.
178