Tugra (Calligraphic Monogram) of Sulayman the Magnificent

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Tugra (Calligraphic Monogram) of Sulayman the Magnificent

Turkey, circa 1550-1565
Manuscripts; folios
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
13 1/4 × 16 in. (33.66 × 40.64 cm)
The Edwin Binney, 3rd, Collection of Turkish Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (M.85.237.17)
Art of the Middle East: Islamic and Contemporary
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

This elegant calligraphy is the tuğra, or imperial monogram, of the Ottoman sultan Suleiman (r. 1520–66)....
This elegant calligraphy is the tuğra, or imperial monogram, of the Ottoman sultan Suleiman (r. 1520–66). Originally placed at the head of a royal document, it transforms the sultan’s name and titles and the formula "ever victorious" into a uniform and harmonious series of curved and vertical lines, while the actual letters are stacked close together in the lower portion. It serves to demonstrate the overwhelming concern for exquisite detail that characterizes the art of Suleiman’s reign in particular and Ottoman art in general.
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Bibliography

  • Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.
  • Binney, Edwin, 3rd. "Turkish Arts of the Book in the Binney Collection." Arts of Asia 17, no.6 (Nov/Dec 1987): 97-104.
  • Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.
  • Binney, Edwin, 3rd. "Turkish Arts of the Book in the Binney Collection." Arts of Asia 17, no.6 (Nov/Dec 1987): 97-104.
  • Denny, Walter B.  Turkish Treasures from the Collection of Edward Binney, 3rd.  Portland, OR:  Portland Art Museum, 1979.

  • Pal, Pratapaditya, Thomas W. Lentz, Sheila R. Canby, Edwin Binney, 3rd, Walter B. Denny, and Stephen Markel. "Arts from Islamic Cultures: Los Angeles County Museum of Art." Arts of Asia 17, no. 6 (November/December 1987): 73-130.

  • Komaroff, Linda.  Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.  Los Angeles:  Museum Associates, 2005.
  • Overton, Keelan. "A History of Ottoman Art History Through the Private Database of Edward Binney, 3rd." Journal of Art Historiography 6 (2012): 1-19.
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