Objects
Height: 123 cm, Width: 65 cmThe art of glassmaking, in its many versatile forms, achieved artistic excellence over centuries in the Islamic world. The Ottoman Empire, which began at the cusp of the 14th century and flourished till the early 20th century, was spread across Turkey, Syria, the Levant, the Balkans and North Africa at its zenith. The Empire patronised several artists and craftspeople in its imperial workshops, and many other artisans who were part of guilds that supplied fine arts and crafts to the people. The guilds transmitted knowledge through a system of training an apprentice to an assistant master and then eventually a master craftsperson.
In the realm of decorative arts, Ottoman design went through a series of different stylistic periods. From the period of the mid-18th to the early 19th century, European influences resulted in the creation of the Turkish Baroque, which is evidenced fabulously in the interiors and glasswork of the Nurosmaniye Mosque in Istanbul.
This pair of Turkish mirrors has been carved in wood, which has been inlaid with fragments and panels with a fluted impression. The rectangular form of the mirror is crowned with a tapering crest, with protruding decorative panels on the side and supported by decorative cabriole legs. The mirror is decorated in reflection of the mashrabiya element of Islamic architecture, with the inlay work in traditional floral and geometric patterns.
The Qamus al-Sina’at al-Shamiyya or the Dictionary of Damascene Crafts, which was compiled between 1890-1908 provides descriptions of 435 crafts, including the art of mirror-making. The craftspeople who made these mirrors were known as marayati and were skilled in the art of cutting glass, molding, carving of stucco, and inlay work. The specialist inlay and woodworkers were called samadiqi. The glass itself was not always produced locally but often imported. Until the 17th century, Venetian mirror glass was preferred, and in the following century, mirror glass from France was also employed. While European glass continued to be imported, the evolution of new techniques created another center of mirror glass production in Isfahan, which became popular with the Ottoman artists.
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