Art of the Ottomans: Faith, Beauty and Power

From the kaleidoscopic tiles of the Green Mosque in the former Ottoman capital of Bursa to the ostentatious palace of Dolmabahçe in Istanbul, this course follows the journey of Ottoman Art and Architecture from its early years in the 14th-century to the late 19th century. Ottoman Art is exciting in its eclecticism, absorbing and reinterpreting elements of the many different traditions from East to West that they encountered over time. The conquest of Constantinople was a pivotal moment, changing the way the Ottomans saw themselves and how they were regarded by others. The great trophy of the Haghia Sophia with its large hemispherical dome subsequently became a signature element of Ottoman mosque architecture. We will meet significant patrons of the arts such as Sultan Mehmed II and Süleyman the Magnificent while also paying attention to comparatively neglected figures of the later periods, whose commissions took the Ottoman visual language in new directions. The course offers a visual feast including splendid imperial mosques, highly sought-after carpets, luxurious velvets, virtuosic calligraphy, refined manuscript paintings and the bold floral motifs of Iznik ceramics.