Publication Date
Circa 956/1550
Publication Place
-
British Museum
Subject
Gouache and ink on paper.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع 44.5 سم؛ القطر 57 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
1949.4-9.086
Record ID
object;ISL;uk;Mus01;50;ar
Library Location
British Museum
Date
Circa 956/1550
Notes
This piece is the tughra of Suleiman the Magnificent (r. 926-73/1520-66), written in ink and decorated with gouache. Tughra was used in documents or decrees issued by the state's government. This model bears the name of Sultan Suleiman Shah, the name of his father Selim, and the phrase 'The Ever Victorious'. Within the largest knot in the Tughra drawing, which is formed from the word Khan, there is an ornate design that is difficult to analyze. Soft floral spirals were drawn in black and gold on a ground of fine, wavy decoration, and the inner knot was filled with split palm branches and florets. There are other floral decorations, in addition to the wavy decorations, filling the space between the lower parts of the letters, and the spiral design appears under the glaze on the ceramic. The foundations of Tughra decoration were laid by Sultan Bayezid II, who died in 917/1512, and during Suleiman's rule, its perfection increased. It is not known the subject of the document that carried this tughra.
Sample Text
Emily Shovelton “Tughra (Sultani Signature)” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;uk;Mus01;50;ar
