NASUH MATRAKČI AND OSMAN NAKAŠ

A special stamp on the Ottoman art of the 16th century was left by painters of miniatures originating from Bosnia. A list of sultan's art workshop of 1545 includes painters Ferhad, Mehmed, Kasim and Huseyn, all from Bosnia, and that of 1588 includes Ferhad, Huseyn, Iskender, Pervane and Mehmed.

Still, Nasuh Matrakči (died in1564) particularly stood out among Ottoman painters born in Bosnia. Besides art, he was very successful in sciences. Describing Matrakči, Turkish historian Metin And wrote: “Nasuh Matrački was the greatest artist from the era of Suleiman the Lawgiver. His full name in documents is Nasuh bin Karagoz bin Abdullah el Bosnavi, and later on only Nasuh Matrakči. He was a historian, a mathematician, a sportsman, a swordsman, a calligrapher and a painter, and excelled in all these fields. He was a truly Renaissance man. He wrote several books in the fields of mathematics, history and fencing. He constructed two big models of a fortress and decorated them for the needs of a ceremony on the occasion of circumcision of sultan Suleiman's son in 1529. A particular interest is attached to his three books about history, illustrated in an entirely new manner which he invented and to topographic painting, where the text and the picture depict historically accurate scenes. One of the three books, Beyan-i Menazil-i Sefer-i Irakeyn, comprehensively described the first military campaign of Sultan Suleiman on Iraq and Persia in 1534-35. Matrakči's book from 1537 includes 128 miniatures which illustrate every step of the army, from its departure to the return from Tabriz. Most of these miniatures present Anatolian cities, with a great sense for detail, depicting each individual building.”

His best-known miniature in this opus is a miniature of Istanbul, where he very accurately presented several dozens of historical sites, even to the degree which would today be suitable as a tourist guide. Nasuh Matrakči's artistic style was unique and never seen before in the Ottoman state. His manner of painting could be described as a detailed panoramic presentation of a city, with elements of landscape painting. He never approached a painting according to a cliché, but very thoroughly recorded characteristics of cities to highlight their recognizability. He had a great sense for line and color, and therefore his miniatures are rich in color and varied. Although Matrački's artistic scope was impressive, he never had students or followers, and his works thus remained unique within the opus of Ottoman painting.

Besides Matrakči, Osman Nakaš, born in Sarajevo, was also a great artist of the time (he worked in the second half of the 16th century). He was the chief master of sultan's workshop and one of the pioneers of the mature stage of Ottoman miniature. Amon his greatest and the most significant projects, the work Hunernama (A book about Feats) in two volumes, which he painted together with his assistants, stands out. The first volume deals with the period from Osman I to Selim I, and has 45 miniatures which illustrate various processions, battles, hunt etc. The second volume has 65 miniatures; it was created four years after the first one and is dedicated to Sultan Suleiman, depicting various scenes from his life.

The second great piece where he worked as a project leader is Surname-i Humayun (A Book about Sultan's Ceremonies). It is also considered the most comprehensive project of Ottoman art, with as many as 437 miniatures. (It is interesting to note that the author of the text of Surname-i Humayun was Intizami Bošnjak, Intizami al-Fočawi Hersekli, who lived in the second half of the 16th century and in the early 17th century.)

Osman Nakaš's work has many similarities to Persian miniature, although he eventually developed his original style, which was particularly prominent in illustrating ceremonies. He was also a master of composition, particularly in painting battles with a large number of figures.