LOCAL ARTS
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in the 16th century. The saz-style compositions combine in a drawing two symbols: the stylised leaf and the dragon. The most important artist and pioneer of this style is Shah Quli (d. 15551556) who was the head of the atelier of Suleyman the Magnificent and was well known for his drawings of dragons. See it: MIA.2013.155 in The Figure in Art Gallery, Floor 2.
05. Eskenazi Four-Animal Carpet Ottoman, 14th-15th century | Pile weaving, wool This carpet belongs to a small group of carpets which are said to be found in Central Asia. Their common features are images of stylised quadruped animals placed against a red background and borders decorated with pseudo-Kufic ornaments. The schematic images do not allow a firm identification of the depicted creatures. According to carbon dating, these carpets were produced in the 14th century - at a time when the huge territory from China to the Danube River was unified
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under Mongol rule. See it: CA.77 in the Iran and Central Asia Gallery, Floor 3.
06. Maqta’ Ottoman, 18th or 19th century | Ivory Made of delicately carved ivory, this object was used as a cutting board for calligraphy pens. The pens, which were made of hardened reeds, had to be cut with a great deal of precision, and this required a firm surface for cutting. The Ottomans excelled in the art of calligraphy, and the many objects that accompanied the calligraphic process, such as ink stands, pen cases, and slabs of ivory for cutting pens, were often elaborately decorated. See it: IV.56.2000 in Writing in Art Gallery, Floor 2.
07. Iznik Dish Ottoman, Early 17th century | Fritware, pigment The motif of a chained leopard on this Iznik dish, set in a garden of roses and carnations, may
be traced to Chinese blue-and-white porcelain. It appropriates an earlier Yuan dynasty (14th century) bowl bearing the image of a mythical creature known as a qilin, set against a mountain backdrop. See it: PO.124.1999 in The Figure in Art Gallery, Floor 2.
08. Door Saljuq Sultanate, 13th century | Walnut wood This set of intricately carved wooden doors were produced in Konya during the Saljuqs of Rum dynasty, which ruled in Anatolia from 1077– 1307 CE, and this object most probably dates from around 1298 CE. The inscription in the upper panels reads: “al-aqil man waazatihu altajarib wa al-jahil man la yufakir fil-awaqib” In English translation: “The wise one is he who has learnt a lesson from experience. And the ignorant one is he who does not think of the consequences.” See it: WW.56.2003 in the Iran and Central Asia Gallery, Floor 3. ✤ fact magazine
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