Original air date: 27 January 2016 | In the second half of the sixteenth century, the Ottoman court became particularly invested in writing its own history. This initiative primarily took the form of official chronicles, and the court historian (şehnameci), a new position established in the 1550s, set to work producing manuscripts accompanied by lavish illustrations. However, the paintings in these texts should not be understood merely as passive descriptions of historical events. Rather, these images served as complex conveyors of meaning in their own right, designed by teams of artists to satisfy the aspirations of their patrons, which included not only the sultan but also other members of the court. In this episode, Emily Neumeier and Nir Shafir speak with Emine Fetvacı about these illustrated histories, the subject of her 2013 volume Picturing History at the Ottoman Court.

Emine Fetvacı is Associate Professor of Islamic Art at Boston University. In addition to the history of painting, her research currently focuses on the albums of Sultan Ahmed I. She is the author of Picturing History at the Ottoman Court (2013) and the co-editor of Writing History at the Ottoman Court (2013).

Thie episode refers to visuals available at: http://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2016/01/ottoman-painting.html

CREDITS

Episode No. 222
Release Date: 27 January 2016
Recording Location: Boston University
Audio editing by Onur Engin (funded by a paid assistantship at Koç University under the supervision of Nina Ergin)
Production by Chris Gratien
Sound excerpt: Muzeyyen Senar - Sen Nemsin Ey Dilber (on archive.org)
Images via British Library, Harvard Art Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Agha Khan Museum, and Chester Beatty Library