The Sultan's Garden
The Blossoming of Ottoman Art
Walter B. Denny & Sumru Belger Krody
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Description
Originally published as a catalogue to accompany the Textile Museum’s 2012 exhibition of the same name in Washington, D.C., The Sultan’s Garden traces the cultivation of the floral style – a trademark of Ottoman court art from the mid-16th century onwards.
This distinct style emerged under Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent and the court artist Kara Memi, who introduced a new, avant-garde rendering of floral designs. Denny and Krody discuss the pivotal role of Kara Memi’s creations, which became synonymous with the Ottoman Empire as the style reached far beyond the palace walls and was adopted in ceramics, architectural decoration and textiles.
The volume reveals an abundance of rich velvets, silks, carpets and embroideries, alive with tulips and sinuous floral vines, exploring both their exceptional craftsmanship and the history behind their designs. The final sections of the publication examine the floral style beyond Ottoman borders, tracing its lasting influence from Russian ecclesiastical textiles to William Morris and Britain’s Arts and Crafts movement.
About the Author
Walter B. Denny is Professor Emeritus of Art History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was a senior scholar at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, contributing to the completion of its Islamic art galleries.
Sumru Belger Krody is chief curator of The Textile Museum in Washington, D.C., where she has worked since 1994, and is also editor-in-chief of The Textile Museum Journal.
