Course: The Metropolitan Museum of Art > Unit 1
Lesson 9: Power- Tughra (Official Signature) of Sultan Süleiman the Magnificent from Istanbul
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Tughra (Official Signature) of Sultan Süleiman the Magnificent from Istanbul
Met curator Deniz Beyazit on the art of control in Tughra (Official Signature) of Sultan Süleiman the Magnificent from Istanbul, c. 1555–60.
Raised to a high art form within the Ottoman chancery, the tughra served as the official seal of the sultan. Affixed to every royal edict, this stylized signature is an intricate calligraphic composition comprising the name of the reigning sultan, his father’s name, his title, and the phrase "the eternally victorious." Its bold, gestural line contrasts with the delicate swirling vine-scroll illumination used to ornament the seal.
View this work on metmuseum.org.
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- Are the flowers in this work of art what one would call an "arabesque"?(9 votes)
- I cannot claim to be any sort of an expert, but it seems to meet the definition of arabesque listed on the Met's glossary page:
arabesque – an Islamic decoration employing abstract intertwining vine, leaf, and plant motifs
Here is a quote from a PBS page (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/sisterwendy/works/tug.html) on this tughra:In Arabic, the word tughra means "enclosed garden." In Islamic culture, though, the tughra is the sultan's official monogram, the signature placed on all official documents issued from the court. While all tughras followed the same basic pattern of ovals, arabesques, and vertical lines, each sultan's was unique, listing his given titles, names, and father's name in beautiful, albeit usually illegible (to the untrained eye), calligraphy. Suleyman I the Magnificent's, shown here, declares him the "ever victorious" in an ornate combination of colors and strokes, all derived from Arabic calligraphy.
(15 votes)
- What does the faint text under the tughra says?(2 votes)