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Illuminated firman (royal decree) with ornamental tughra of Sultan Ahmed III (r.1703-1730)
View through Harvard Museums
Written in Ottoman divani script, this decree was signed on Jumada II, 1133 (X April 1721) in Kostantiniyye (Istanbul). It grants permission to French merchants to sail through the Dardanelles to Istanbul. The illuminated tughra (old Turkish word for insignia) of the reigning Ottoman ruler, Ahmed III, placed at the top, certifies the authenticity and validity of this document. Following established patterns that involve verticals and various curved lines, the tughra captures the words “Shah Ahmed bin Mehmed Khan el muzaffer daima” (King Ahmed son of King Mehmed, may he be victorious forever). The main text, written in gold, red, and black inks, follows the curvy, intertwining nature of the divani script, devised by the court bureaucracy to limit its use to a few calligraphers assigned to pen important court documents.
Department of Islamic & Later Indian Art
[Joseph Soustiel Paris summer 1968] sold; to Edwin Binney 3rd 1968 bequest; to Harvard University Art Museums 1985.
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum The Edwin Binney 3rd Collection of Turkish Art at the Harvard Art Museums
Title: Illuminated firman (royal decree) with ornamental tughra of Sultan Ahmed III (r.1703-1730)
Description:
Written in Ottoman divani script, this decree was signed on Jumada II, 1133 (X April 1721) in Kostantiniyye (Istanbul).
It grants permission to French merchants to sail through the Dardanelles to Istanbul.
The illuminated tughra (old Turkish word for insignia) of the reigning Ottoman ruler, Ahmed III, placed at the top, certifies the authenticity and validity of this document.
Following established patterns that involve verticals and various curved lines, the tughra captures the words “Shah Ahmed bin Mehmed Khan el muzaffer daima” (King Ahmed son of King Mehmed, may he be victorious forever).
The main text, written in gold, red, and black inks, follows the curvy, intertwining nature of the divani script, devised by the court bureaucracy to limit its use to a few calligraphers assigned to pen important court documents.
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