Courtly Splendor in the Islamic World - The Metropolitan Museum of ...

After reading this chapter, you will be able to:
♦ identify the visual qualities and functions of objects produced under
Ottoman patronage; and
♦ understand the role of the Ottoman court workshops in generating
a unified dynastic visual language, seen across a range of media,
that spread throughout the empire.
Introduction
unit 5: Chapter 2
Art and Empire:
The Ottoman Court
At its height, the Ottoman empire (1299–1923) stretched across three
continents and ruled over a linguistically, religiously, ethnically, and culturally
diverse population (see map, page 125). Uniting and governing such a
population was a challenging task for the sultan (ruler) and his vast
administration. The development of a distinct visual language was just one of
the ways the centralized government created and projected a shared identity.
The finest examples of Ottoman art were commissioned and made for royal
patrons in the capital city, Istanbul (in present-day Turkey). From there,
the designs and decorative motifs spread throughout the empire and beyond.
(See also “Domestic Life in Eighteenth-Century Damascus,” page 183.)
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