Picturing History at the Ottoman Court by Emіne Fetvaci

Author:Emіne Fetvaci
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 2019-01-14T16:00:00+00:00

5.02. The astronomer Takiyüddin and the comet. Nuṣretnāme of Mustafa li. Istanbul, 1584. Topkapı Palace Museum, H. 1365, fol. 5b.

Photo: Hadiye Cangökçe.

The astrologer Takiyüddin, portrayed in the margin (fig. 5.02) viewing the comet with a quadrant in his hand, might be understood as symbolizing scholars in general: observing and recording events with precision, with the aid of the quadrant.14 If the comet—and by extension, its illustration—served as a metaphor for the Safavid campaigns depicted in the book, then, the scholar in the margin can be thought of as a parallel to the historian, watching and recording. The painting points to li’s literary ambitions and pretensions while practicing his own “science,” that of writing history, with various tools such as field notes, copies of letters, and illustrations. The few folios that precede the painting describe li’s appointment as secretary and detail why he was fit for the job, how he composed the work and which sources he used. Then the discussion moves directly into the appearance of the comet and Takiyüddin’s (and anonymous others’) predictions for success. The discussion of the astrologer and the comet falls into the introductory section, where authors customarily hint at the themes of the book. These are often the sections where we find author portraits (such as in the Shāhnāma-i Salīm Khān) or images of authors presenting their books to the patrons (such as in the Gencīne-i fetḥ-i Gence). It is quite unusual to find an image of a person unrelated to the making of the book. This suggests that the painting has another, possibly symbolic, purpose: to suggest a link between li and Takiyüddin.

The parallel li establishes between himself and Takiyüddin legitimates his project in a manner closely correlated to contemporary events in Istanbul. Takiyüddin had established the first observatory in Istanbul in April 1578 with a mandate from the sultan. His patron Hoca Sadeddin, the sultan’s tutor and trusted advisor, had helped him gain the sultan’s favor. Yet the observatory was torn down in February 1580, at the instigation of the chief religious official of the empire, the shaykh al-Islam Ahmed Şemseddin Efendi, who was Hoca Sadeddin’s rival.15 Hoca Sadeddin was also one of Mustafa li’s patrons. Perhaps more relevant to the Nuṣretnāme, Ottoman courtiers had been divided on the issue of whether to go to war with the Safavids. While the grand vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha had been against the campaign, Hoca Sadeddin and Lala Mustafa Pasha were in favor of it.16 Takiyüddin’s predictions had clearly helped the faction in support of the war, who also happened to be li’s patrons. With the painting of the comet and the astrologer, then, li manages to cater to his patrons’ interests that fall outside the immediate contents of the book; he alludes to his own “scientific” method as an observer and recorder of history, and highlights the triumphant prediction that encouraged the wars that were the subject of his book. This multi-layered image refers to the book that it is in, whether to its writing, or to the wars that are the reason for its existence.

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