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The Istanbul Sales

The Istanbul Sales

Süleyman the Magnificent arrives at the Atmeydanı — six centuries of Ottoman court painting, illumination and calligraphy.

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Arts of the Ottoman Empire

Arts of the Ottoman Empire

Imperial chronicles from the palace Nakkaşhane, painted as double-page panoramas in gold and lapis.

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The Cartographer’s Eye

The Cartographer’s Eye

Matrakçı Nasuh’s topographical miniatures: cities seen from the sky, without a single human figure.

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Masters of the Persian Miniature

Masters of the Persian Miniature

From Herat to Tabriz and Isfahan — the painters who turned the page into a world.

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The Art of the Pen

The Art of the Pen

Imperial levhas, hilyes and tughras: Ottoman calligraphy at its most monumental.

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389,951Works catalogued
28,484Masters & workshops
5,000Years of art
7Languages

Masterpieces

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Book of Kells — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Scribes of Iona & Kells

Book of KellsReference masterpieceHilye-i Şerif — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Hafız Osman

Hilye-i ŞerifReference masterpieceTughra of Süleyman — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Ottoman Divan Illuminators

Tughra of SüleymanReference masterpieceBlue Qur'an — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Fatimid/Aghlabid Scribes

Blue Qur'anReference masterpieceSurname-i Vehbi — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Levnî (Abdülcelil Çelebi)

Surname-i VehbiReference masterpieceBustan of Sa‘di — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Kemaleddin Behzad

Bustan of Sa‘diReference masterpiecePadshahnama — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Abid & Payag

PadshahnamaReference masterpieceSiyer-i Nebi — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Lütfi Abdullah

Siyer-i NebiReference masterpiece

Curated Collections

Explore
Hünername — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsThe Ottoman CourtCourt of Gayumars — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsPersian MastersHilye-i Şerif — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsThe Art of the PenBook of Kells — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsGospels & Books of HoursSpoonmaker's Diamond (Kaşıkçı Elması)Treasures of TopkapıIznik Mosque LampIznik & the Decorative ArtsGreat Wave off Kanagawa — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsJapan: Ukiyo-eMarie Antoinette Breguet No. 160Masterpieces of Time

5,000 Years in One House

3000 BCEgypt & Mesopotamia500 BCGreece & RomeAD 600Qur’ans & Gospels1300Ilkhanid & Gothic1450Timurid Herat1550Süleyman & Kara Memi1600Mughal & Dutch Golden Age1720Tulip Era · Levnî1830Hokusai & Orientalism1900ModernTodayContemporary & Design
Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry — public domain / Wikimedia Commons
01 — Matchless Pieces

Enluminure (Tezhip)

The art of gilding and ornamenting manuscripts — from Persian and Ottoman tezhip to Insular Gospels and Gothic Books of Hours.

Gold, lapis and the infinite scroll: from Insular Gospels to Kara Memi’s Ottoman blossoms.

Book of Kells — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsLindisfarne Gospels — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsTughra of Süleyman — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsHours of Étienne Chevalier — public domain / Wikimedia Commons
Enluminure (Tezhip) → History
Court of Gayumars — public domain / Wikimedia Commons
02 — Matchless Pieces

Peinture miniature

Narrative painting in books and albums: Persian, Ottoman, Mughal, Rajput, Armenian and European traditions across two millennia.

Worlds in a page: Behzad’s Herat, Tabriz, Istanbul’s Nakkaşhane and the Mughal ateliers.

Portrait of Mehmed II — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsHünername — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsSurname-i Vehbi — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsPadshahnama — public domain / Wikimedia Commons
Peinture miniature → History
Blue Qur'an — public domain / Wikimedia Commons
03 — Matchless Pieces

Calligraphie (Hat)

Islamic, Chinese and Japanese calligraphy — writing elevated to the highest art.

The art of the reed pen — Yakut, Şeyh Hamdullah, Hafız Osman, Mustafa Rakım.

Lantingji Xu (copy) — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsIshiyama-gire Anthology — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsHilye-i Şerif — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsMushaf of Şeyh Hamdullah — public domain / Wikimedia Commons
Calligraphie (Hat) → History

Faith & Tradition

Explore
Blue Qur'an — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Islamic

57,772 works
Lindisfarne Gospels — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Christian

25,122 works

Shinto

4,645 works
Book of the Dead of Hunefer — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Ancient Religions

3,429 works

Buddhist

2,266 works
Gita Govinda (Kangra) — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Hindu

1,770 works
Beyân-ı Menâzil-i Sefer-i Irakeyn — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Jewish

674 works
Lantingji Xu (copy) — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Daoist & Confucian

587 works

Departments

Tutankhamun's Mask — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsAntiquités1 worksAdmonitions Scroll — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsArt asiatique4 worksThe Starry Night — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsArt moderne et contemporain1 worksArdabil Carpet — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsArts de l'Islam et ottomans1 worksBlue Qur'an — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsCalligraphie (Hat)7 worksBook of Hours of Simon Bening — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsEnluminure (Tezhip)23 worksHope Diamond — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsJoaillerie et pierres1 worksCodex Leicester — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsManuscrits et livres rares6 worksMobilier et arts décoratifs0 worksMontres0 worksBhagavata Purana (Basohli) — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsPeinture miniature33 worksMona Lisa — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsTableaux anciens2 worksUncategorized0 worksVins et spiritueux0 works

Stories

More Stories
Haft Awrang of Ibrahim Mirza — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsPeinture miniature

Jami' al-Tawarikh

1314, Edinburgh University.Ilkhanid scriptorium that produced the first world history, painted with Chinese influences.

Haft Awrang of Ibrahim Mirza — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsPeinture miniature

Süleymanname

1558, Topkapı.Painters of Arifi's official history of Süleyman.

Haft Awrang of Ibrahim Mirza — public domain / Wikimedia CommonsPeinture miniature

A History of Miniature Painting

The history of miniature paintingPersian: Ilkhanid Great Mongol Shahnameh (1330s); Jalayirid Baghdad; Timurid Herat and Behzad; Safavid Tabriz (Sultan Muhammad) and Isfahan (Reza Abbasi).…

Les maîtres

All Masters
Bustan of Sa‘di — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Kemaleddin Behzad

c.1450–1535, Herat & TabrizBeyân-ı Menâzil-i Sefer-i Irakeyn — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Matrakçı Nasuh

1480–1564 · Miniature PaintingHünername — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Nakkaş Osman

fl. 1560–1595 · Miniature PaintingSurname-i Vehbi — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Levnî (Abdülcelil Çelebi)

d. 1732 · Miniature PaintingSüleymanname Illuminations — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Kara Memi

fl. 1545–1566 · Illumination (Tezhip)Mushaf of Şeyh Hamdullah — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Şeyh Hamdullah

1436–1520 · Calligraphy (Hat)Hilye-i Şerif — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Hafız Osman

1642–1698, IstanbulHamzanama — public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Basawan & Daswanth

fl. 1560–1600, Mughal India

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The Matchless Letter

Sale previews, new discoveries in illumination and miniature, and private-room invitations.