Look into the opulent history of the Byzantine Empire
==================================================
The Florida Times-Union-January 14, 2001
Author: Judy Wells,
Times-Union staff writer
FORT LAUDERDALE -- Fifty years before
Columbus sailed to the New World, the Conqueror Mehmed II, besieged and took Constantinople, capitol of the Byzantine Empire,
once the grandest and most impregnable city in the world. He began planning the assault at the age of 19 and was 21 when he
rode through the streets of what was to become the seat of the Ottoman empire
From that day until their empire's fall in the 1920s, the Ottoman sultans amassed land and riches, the best the world
had to offer. Their palace was Topkapi, the sublime port on the shores of the Bosphorus.
Although not immune from natural disasters -- Constantinople, now Istanbul, Turkey, is on a fault line -- Topkapi, unlike
similar palaces Versailles or the Hermitage, has never been looted or occupied for long by foreign or revolutionary invaders.
From Mehmed's time until the present, it has been a repository of the world's wealth and culture, be it art, architecture,
literature, religious artifacts, precious metals and gems or fine textiles.
"Palace of Gold & Light, Treasures from the Topkapi, Istanbul," on display through Feb. 28 at the Museum of
Art, Fort Lauderdale, is an unparalleled look into the luxurious and intricate life of the Ottoman sultans and the people
who served them. No visitor to Topkapi itself will ever see such a comprehensive collection. Many items here, the exhibit's
third and last stop (Washington and San Diego preceded Fort Lauderdale), are never shown. Those that are, including the famous
emerald and diamond Topkapi dagger of movie fame, are displayed and lighted better than they might be at home.
The dazzle factor exceeds anyone's imagination. Rubies, emeralds and diamonds
the size of pigeon and chicken eggs adorn ceremonial daggers, swords and pins. Boxes to hold precious relics or pens and ink
are dotted with more precious gems than a dalmatian has spots. Intricate embroidery and threads of gold and silver enhance
even mundane items such as children's underwear, hand towels, barber's aprons and the cloth bundles that royal robes
were wrapped in for storage. Nothing is exempt from superior design and workmanship: gate keys, book bindings, administrative
seals, lists of craftsmen and their salaries, deeds, wooden cabinet doors.
More important and lasting, however, is the new knowledge of a mysterious and little-known culture. The exhibit, which fills
the museum's second floor, is organized in five parts: Sultan Mehmed II -- The Conqueror; Mysteries of Kingship; the Sultan
as Head of State; The Hidden Palace; and Ottoman Artists. Together they show life in Topkapi as never before. Consequently,
centuries of stereotypes fall away like layers of the stylized tulips, carnations and artichokes found in the patterns of
Ottoman design.
The first display case encountered contains
the utilitarian "killing" sword wielded by Mehmed II when he took Constantinople. Next to it is his fur-lined robe.
Nearby, in another display case, is a translation of Avicenna's 15th century Canones ("Book on Medicine"), gloriously
bound in red Italian velvet. It, too, belonged to Mehmed II. So much for the Western stereotype of the sultan as a ruthless,
scimitar-wielding, blood-thirsty barbarian.
The first sultan
was no Attila the Hun. Mehmed II was learned, an avid reader in several languages, an appreciator of art and beauty, a collector
of books, a brilliant military strategist, remarkably tolerant of other religions and cultures and an insightful administrator.
Six centuries of heirs continued this paradox of pragmatic, empire-building and sometimes cruel military strategist vs. lover
of art, beauty and literature.
Topkapi was not merely the residence
of the Sultan and his family. It was a city within a city, a series of ceremonial pavilions, living quarters, government offices
and service buildings arranged around open courtyards set in a large park surrounded by protective walls.
Take the White House, Capitol, Supreme Court, CIA and FBI, Treasury, Mint, the military
industrial complex, then throw in the financial, fashion, restaurant and jewelry districts of New York and you have an idea
of what it must have been like. The exhibit reflects this with the products and implements of the Topkapi armorers, designers,
potters, tile makers, clerks, silver and goldsmiths, chefs, viziers, looms, seamstresses and even water carriers.
It was a multicultural community from 1453 until 1924. At its peak, the Ottoman Empire
included the Balkans from Greece to the Austrian frontier, the Arab East, North Africa, Crimea, Hungary and parts of Italy,
Sicily, Poland and the Ukraine. The most skilled craftsmen and artisans, the finest materials, were brought to Topkapi. As
the empire aged, growing in size and wealth, objects became fancier, designs more intricate until every inch of every surface
was embellished.
Almost from the beginning, sultans emerged
from the confines of Topkapi only on ceremonial occasions. While removed from the common man, sultans were not removed from
his reality, for court custom decreed that every Ottoman sultan should practice a trade.
In addition to being ruler, diplomat, military leader and poet, Suleyman the Magnificent was trained as a goldsmith. Murad
II was a devoted bibliophile, spending hours with his painters in the court designers' workshop. Even as the empire degenerated,
this practical practice continued. Abdulhamid II, who ruled from 1876 to 1909, was a carpenter and cabinet-maker. Abdulmecid,
the last Ottoman crown prince and nominal Caliph from 1922 to 1924, was a talented oil painter.
Displaying and securing such diverse magnificence is almost as challenging as assembling it in the first place. It took 14
days to hang and place the 236 objects, according to Kathleen Harleman, director of the Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, who
was on hand for every minute of the process.
"We had 10
conservators from Turkey sewing this to its red background," said Harleman, pointing to the magnificent 12.3-by-6.4-foot
15th or 16th century West Anatolian Ushak carpet that dominates an enormous curved wall. "Only four specific staff members
were allowed on the floor."
Throughout its visit to the
United States, the exhibit has been monitored by curators and museum directors sent from Turkey by the Ministry of Culture.
"Even I had never seen these things, and I am from Istanbul," said one.
Istanbul, Topkapi and the splendor of the Ottoman court will never be closer.
IF YOU GO
What: Palace of Gold & Light, Treasures from the
Topkapi, Istanbul
Where: The Museum
of Art, Fort Lauderdale, 1 E. Las Olas Blvd.,Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301. (954) 525-5500, 1-800-564-9539. www.MUSEUMofART.org.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday
and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets:
Adults, $15; seniors/students, $13; groups, $12; children ages 5-18, $6, under 5 years, free. Includes excellent acoustiguide
tour.
Parking: Available
at the Riverfront Parking Garage across the street from the museum at Las Olas Boulevard and Andrews Avenue.
Other amenities: The museum is conveniently
located at one end of Fort Lauderdale's liveliest street for shopping and dining. There is a small area within the museum
gift shop that features Turkish souvenirs. The exhibit catalog is lavishly illustrated.
