#kaftans

Silks for the Sultans

Ottoman Imperial garments from Topkapi Palace

Photos by Ahmet Ertuğ, Essay by Dr.Patrick L.Baker, Dr.Hülya Tezean, Jennifer Wearden

Ertuğ & Kocabıyık, 1996, 251 pages, 150 colour plates, 31x42cm,

euro 600,00

email if you want to buy [email protected]

This superb oversized book is published by Ertuğ & Kocabiyik Publications, a publishing house established by leading architect and photographer Ahmet Ertuğ and Ahmet Kocabiyik. Their books are unique collector's items focusing on the cultural heritage of Anatolia. The magnificent images by Ahmet Ertuğ are accompanied by articles of world-renowned academics to reflect the inherent value of the masterpieces they contain. The garments shown and described in this book were chosen from about five thousand objects in the garments and accessories collections of Topkapı Palace Museum in İstanbul. In making this selection, emphasis was placed on the silk kaftans (robes) that were worn by the sultans with an eye on such criteria as color, design, and quality reflecting the rich cosmopolitan atmosphere that prevailed in the Ottoman court. The examples in this book are classified according to design categories within which they are generally presented in chronological order. This has the advantage of reflecting the stylistic developments that took place in the design-shops attached to the Ottoman court. The first category consists of fabrics with the "triple spot" motif and its variations. The second group presents two examples of garments in the "saz" style and in the third, of the "Floral style". These are followed by kaftans in "Seraser" fabrics. The next three groups are devoted to fabrics that are of European origin or were imported from India. The next two categories show items of dress made from plain fabrics, some with appliqué designs, other garments from the 18th and 19th centuries. The last group are not kaftans but talismanic shirts, included because the unusual calligraphic treatment of their designs provides an interesting coda to the magnificent and elegant garments that precede them.