© Bayerische Staatsbibliothek
It is no secret that Ottoman Istanbul became an important centre for the production of illustrated manuscripts in the 16th century. While especially illustrated historical works are known from this period, another genre of luxurious manuscripts appears to have developed towards the end of the 16th century: illustrated story books.
These manuscripts are extremely rich in their illustrations that depict subjects such as love, adventure and extraordinary events. This lecture seeks to explain the dynamics behind the production of late-sixteenth-century illustrated storybooks and to elucidate the similarities of these works and their execution. A further aim of this talk will be to explore who the audience of these manuscripts might have been and how these books could have been used in public reading activities.
A lecture by Serpil Ayhan Karaaslan (LMU/ Hacettepe-University Ankara) in the series Cultures of Islam by the Münchner Mittelost-Mittelmeer-Mittelasien-Zentrum (4MZ).
You can find more information on the website of the lectures series.