Ottoman illumination

Turkish or Ottoman illumination refers to non-figurative painted or drawn decorative art found in manuscripts or on sheets in muraqqa. In Turkish it is called “tezhip”, meaning “ornamenting with gold”. The Classical Islamic style of manuscript illumination combines techniques from Turkish, Persian, and Arabic traditions. Illumination was central to the traditional arts of the Ottoman Turks, who developed a style of illumination distinct from earlier traditions.

Manuscript illustration, such as the painting of the Ottoman miniature (taswir), was a distinct process from manuscript illumination, and each process was thus carried out by an artist specially trained in that particular craft.

Illumination design varies depending on the associated text. Poetic texts often featured decoration along the margins of the text block or interrupting columns of text. Copies of the Qur'an from the Ottoman period in the 14th and 16th centuries feature fully decorated opening pages (levha or plate illumination), with subsequent pages only featuring illumination on the edges of the text block (koltuk illumination).

Illumination techniques were used to decorate manuscripts of the Qur'an as well as other mediums such as decorative papers, book covers, textiles, ceramics, glass and wood panels, metal works, and architectural surfaces. Manuscripts of the Qur'an and literary or historical works were illuminated in palace workshops or in private artists' workshops. Illuminated manuscripts were generally accessible to sultans because of their high production cost. The production of illuminated works of art under royal or elite patronage contributed to the unity of style frequently observed in Turkish decorative arts.

The first examples of illumination among Turks appeared on wall paintings and book adornments by the Uygur Turks. Illumination took hold in the 9th and 10th centuries as it was used to gild and adorn the margins of Qur'anic manuscripts. Kufic manuscripts of this period began to incorporate more elaborate geometric decoration as both an act of religious devotion and a tool for facilitating the text's legibility. Ottoman illuminators built upon the legacy established by these pre-Ottoman artists while incorporating their own styles and techniques.

During the reign of the Seljuk Turks in the 13th and 14th centuries, illumination techniques spread across Central Asia and Asia Minor. Illuminations of this period were characterized by geometric designs and motifs. Palace workshops, set up during the reign of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, produced most examples of illumination. Prominent artist Baba Naqqash led an ornamentation workshop established by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror at Topkapi Palace, producing masterpieces while training new students in the art of illumination.

Beginning in the 15th century, refined techniques in papermaking and page dyeing allowed for the incorporation of more varied colors in paper manuscripts. Pages could be decorated with gold dust or marbled using the abri technique imported from China.

In the 16th century, the art of Ottoman illumination experienced its second peak since the reign of Sultan Mehmed II. The style of Classical Turkish Illumination emerged, while illumination began to be used more widely beyond book adornment, decorating forms of art such as weaving and ceramics.