Whenever I think
about weapons and armor of the European Renaissance during the 15th and
16th centuries, I think of the Arthurian style. Knights would wear shiny
full plate mail with a lion embossed on a shield. They would wield a giant gleaming
great sword with a cross hilt. During this era, however, there was another entirely
different style of arms and armor not prevalent in the West. The Ottoman Empire
reigned over much of what we now refer to as the Middle East and Southern
Europe from 1299 to 1922 AD, a little over six centuries. The reign of Süleyman
is often referred to as the “Golden Age” of this empire and lasted from 1520-1566 (Yalman).
Perhaps better
known for its contributions to architecture through the construction of mosques
and religious complexes, namely through the works of Sinan, the style of its
men of war often exhibited a reflection of this pinnacle of Ottoman art and culture.
Here we will look at three works that exhibit the style of arms and armor
during the Ottoman Empire's “Golden Age”. They are a Helmet by Unknown
Artist, a Yatagan by Ahmed Tekelü, and a Hungarian-Style Shield
by Unknown Artist.
Unknown Artist. Helmet. 1560 c. The Met Fifth Avenue,
New York, NY.
This Helmet by Unknown Artist was created from watered
steel and decorated with gold. The piece currently resides in the Met Fifth
Avenue in New York, NY. The piece was presumed to have been created as part of
a parade armor for someone of rank in one of the imperial workshops in Istanbul
around 1560 (The Met).
This piece is gorgeous and clearly part of a set meant to
impress. The artist uses gold and silver decorations, while somewhat faded, to incorporate
arabesques and Koranic inscriptions including the 99 names of Allah (The Met). The nasal piece extends
above the visor and contains the symbology of a temple or mosque with religious
inscriptions. The use of shape is both practical and slightly intimidating. The
conical top and chain neck guards were built to deflect blows but also give the helmet
that distinctive Eastern appearance.
I would not likely display something like this in my home. I
can appreciate the detail and precision work put into this piece though. To me,
art like this belongs in a museum or if it has to be in my home, maybe in
books.
Tekelü, Ahmed. Yatagan. 1525-30 c. The Met Fifth
Avenue, New York, NY.
This Yatagan by Ahmed Tekelü was created from steel and
decorated with gold. The piece currently resides in the Met Fifth Avenue in New
York, NY. The piece was presumed to have been created in the workshop of Ahmed
Tekelü in Istanbul around 1525-1530 and is almost identical to one presented to
Süleyman the Magnificent (The Met).
The yatagan is a uniquely Turkish weapon characterized by a
double-curved blade and hilt without a guard (The Met).
The detail in this short sword is exquisite. The jeweled hilt, gold inlay, and
ivory grip all practically scream opulence. The gold inlay on the blade itself
is interesting. A dragon and a phoenix do battle surrounded by clouds and leaves.
The scene is thought to be of Chinese inspiration. The detail on this blade
even runs the length of the top of the blade. That is not something you see
very often in weapons.
While I love looking at this piece or imagining the battles
some long-dead hero might have fought with it, I probably wouldn’t display this
in my home. This was a piece made for princes and it belongs in a museum for
everyone to enjoy.
Unknown Artist. Hungarian-Style Shield. 1500-1550 c.
The Met Fifth Avenue, New York, NY.
This Hungarian-Style Shield by Unknown Artist was created
from wood and leather. The piece currently resides in the Met Fifth Avenue in
New York, NY. The piece was presumed to have been created as part of a tournament
costume somewhere in Eastern Europe around 1500 to 1550 (The Met).
The exterior of the shield features a hand holding the double-bladed
sword of the prophet Muhammad, while the interior has Christian icons. The mix
of religious iconography indicates this piece was made for a “Hungarian style”
tournament where participants would dress as the feared Ottoman warriors. The
distinct shape with the upward sweeping edge were used by light
cavalry and during the 16th century the style was used by both
Christian and Islamic horsemen (The Met).
The artist, though likely Christian, took special care with their enemy’s Islamic icons
here. The respect across the battle lines even extended to duplicating their
costumes and tactics. The use of line to imitate the iconic chainmail of the
Ottomans and the diagonal slash of the sword are ominous when taken in the context
of the many battles being fought along borders during this time.
As I look at the various dings and piercings in this shield,
I can’t help but think of the bouts it has seen. While I wouldn’t have this in my
home, the history of it is somewhat inspiring. This piece definitely belongs in
a museum where people can learn about its history.
Hi Rusty,
ReplyDeleteI first off wanted to say I wish I thought of doing an empire related blog. All your pieces were so cool. My favorite is the helmet, that is clearly meant to impress, intimate and only worn by higher up individuals. I have no idea where I would display this but maybe in the future when I get a man cave I'm gonna need one. As someone who loves ninja, assassin movies I have never seen that weapon before. They really admire the detail, again something that would look great in a man cave.
Hi Rusty, great post! I find the general theme that you chose very appealing. Art isn't always a paper and writing utensil, but it can be the artistic touches to things such as metal armor. I have always found armor so interesting as each region and country had a specific style to it. I definitely can't even imagine how heavy armor was and the fact that it was worn to combat. I like how you chose this to correlate with the theme for this assignment as you went in a different approach but you found a countries artistic style within something like armor. Also something that came to mind is the materials used and if these artists that created these pieces only did this kind of work or other kinds?
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