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Ottoman Calligraphic Art

Type Object Region Ottoman Empire Time c. 1400–1922

Ottoman calligraphy was a writing art system developed in imperial court and religious settings from the 15th to 18th centuries on the basis of the A…

Timeline

  1. c. 1350–1450Bursa · MarmaraBursa, an early Ottoman capital, brought together Persian and Seljuk calligraphic traditions; naskh was used for religious manuscripts, laying the technical foundation for the localization of imperial calligraphy.
  2. 1453–1481Topkapi Palace, Istanbul · IstanbulAround the 1470s, Mehmed II greatly sponsored calligraphy workshops; bestowal of Qurans and architectural inscriptions became symbols of imperial authority, the standardization of scripts improved markedly, and the prototype of what later generations called 'classical Ottoman calligraphy' took shape.
  3. c. 1480–1520Amasya · Black Sea regionSheikh Hamdullah refined naskh into a model for later generations; his disciples spread throughout the empire, a calligraphic education system took shape, and the 1470s–1480s were the key period of his training and rise to fame.
  4. c. 1550–1700Istanbul · IstanbulHafiz Osman perfected thuluth for large architectural inscriptions, diwani became the script reserved for court decrees, and calligraphy became deeply integrated with architecture and ceramic decoration.

Sources