A talk at the Orient-Institut Istanbul by Prof Amanda Phillips.
The treasury of the Studenica Monastery in southern Serbia preserves the only known Ottoman textile attributed to the fourteenth century, a massive silk hanging woven for Sultan Bayezid I. It was donated to the monastery in the very early 1400s by Bayezid’s widow, Mileva Olivera Lazarević (Despina Hatun). The textile’s two inscriptions – al-Sultan al-calim al-cādil and Sultan Bayezid Khan cazza nasruhu – suggest it was commissioned for the Sultan himself. This talk argues, however, that the manner in which the inscriptions relate to the textile as a whole is at odds with their ostensible message. Rather than a custom design, this silk was probably a rush-job from a workshop accustomed to making goods for a commercial market. This talk introduces the textile, which has received little scholarly attention to date, putting its main features in context of its production as well as discussing its place at Studenica. It also argues for the importance of looking beyond text and evaluating evidence found in objects themselves.
Issue 66, December 2023
Turkey’s Centenary Issue
