The Book of Felicity
Encyclopedia
The Book of Felicity is an illuminated manuscript
made in the Ottoman Empire
in 1582. Commissioned by Sultan Murad III
, who ruled the empire from 1574 to 1595, its text was translated from Arabic and all its miniatures were apparently directed by the famous master Ustad ‘Osman, who undoubtedly painted the opening series of images related to the signs of the zodiac1. ‘Osman, the head of the painters at the Seraglio workshop from 1570 onwards, created a style renowned for its lifelike portraits that influenced other artists in Murad’s court.
to Baghdad
, and Oman
and Tunisia
to Mecca
and Medina
, encompassing such great cities as Damascus
, Alexandria
and Cairo
. The Turks also controlled the Silk Route, the Black Sea
and the eastern half of the Mediterranean. The sultan governed the empire from Constantinople
, where architects, painters, calligraphers, jewellers, ceramists, poets, etc, worked for him. Murad, a grandson of Süleyman the Magnificent, was a learned, sybarite sultan, a foremost patron of the arts and responsible to a considerable degree for the great development of Turkish-Ottoman painting in the 16th and early 17th centuries, deemed to be its most fertile period. His reign was also marked by constant warring with Iran and the Christian states of Europe.
Sultan Murad III was completely absorbed by the intense political, cultural and sentimental life of the harem. He had 103 children, only 47 of whom outlived him. He commissioned this treatise about felicity especially for his daughter Fatima. Murad died at Topkapı
Palace in Constantinople in 15952.
. The illustrations accompanying these descriptions include paintings of how human circumstances change according to the conjunction of the stars, several tables of physiognomical matches, several more about the correct interpretation of dreams and an enigmatic divination treatise for predicting one’s future.
The manuscript is a peerless testimony of the eastern world of that period, a world inhabited by mysterious characters in peculiar poses, exotic, brightly-coloured garments, sumptuous palaces and mansions, and mosques. There are also countless exotic animals such as peacocks and sea serpents, and many birds whose stylised manner is clearly influenced by Japanese painting. There is also a chapter about the monsters, demons and beasts that frequent medieval, Turkish imagery.
In 2007, the Spanish publishing house M. Moleiro Editor
brought out the first and only facsimile edition of the Book of Felicity. A limited luxury edition of 987 copies with a companion volume of studies by Miguel Ángel de Bunes Ibarra (CSIC), Evrim Türkçelik (CSIC), Günsel Renda (Professor of Ottoman Art, Koç University) and Stefano Carboni (Metropolitan Museum of Art).
Illuminated manuscript
An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations...
made in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in 1582. Commissioned by Sultan Murad III
Murad III
Murad III was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death.-Biography:...
, who ruled the empire from 1574 to 1595, its text was translated from Arabic and all its miniatures were apparently directed by the famous master Ustad ‘Osman, who undoubtedly painted the opening series of images related to the signs of the zodiac1. ‘Osman, the head of the painters at the Seraglio workshop from 1570 onwards, created a style renowned for its lifelike portraits that influenced other artists in Murad’s court.
Murad III and his times
In the latter half of the 16th century, the domains of the Ottoman Empire stretched from BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
to Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, and Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
and Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
and Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
, encompassing such great cities as Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
and Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. The Turks also controlled the Silk Route, the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
and the eastern half of the Mediterranean. The sultan governed the empire from Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, where architects, painters, calligraphers, jewellers, ceramists, poets, etc, worked for him. Murad, a grandson of Süleyman the Magnificent, was a learned, sybarite sultan, a foremost patron of the arts and responsible to a considerable degree for the great development of Turkish-Ottoman painting in the 16th and early 17th centuries, deemed to be its most fertile period. His reign was also marked by constant warring with Iran and the Christian states of Europe.
Sultan Murad III was completely absorbed by the intense political, cultural and sentimental life of the harem. He had 103 children, only 47 of whom outlived him. He commissioned this treatise about felicity especially for his daughter Fatima. Murad died at Topkapı
Topkapi
Topkapi or Topkapı can mean:* The Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, Turkey* Topkapı, a neighbourhood of Istanbul near the Roman city walls * Topkapi , a 1964 caper movie...
Palace in Constantinople in 15952.
The Manuscript
The Book of Felicity describes in detail the characteristic traits of those born under each of the twelve signs of the zodiacZodiac
In astronomy, the zodiac is a circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude which are centred upon the ecliptic: the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year...
. The illustrations accompanying these descriptions include paintings of how human circumstances change according to the conjunction of the stars, several tables of physiognomical matches, several more about the correct interpretation of dreams and an enigmatic divination treatise for predicting one’s future.
The manuscript is a peerless testimony of the eastern world of that period, a world inhabited by mysterious characters in peculiar poses, exotic, brightly-coloured garments, sumptuous palaces and mansions, and mosques. There are also countless exotic animals such as peacocks and sea serpents, and many birds whose stylised manner is clearly influenced by Japanese painting. There is also a chapter about the monsters, demons and beasts that frequent medieval, Turkish imagery.
In 2007, the Spanish publishing house M. Moleiro Editor
M. Moleiro Editor
M. Moleiro Editor is a publishing house specialised in identical facsimile reproductions of codices, maps and illuminated manuscripts. Founded in Barcelona in 1991, the firm’s dissemination of many masterpieces in the history of illumination and the great accuracy of its reproductions have made it...
brought out the first and only facsimile edition of the Book of Felicity. A limited luxury edition of 987 copies with a companion volume of studies by Miguel Ángel de Bunes Ibarra (CSIC), Evrim Türkçelik (CSIC), Günsel Renda (Professor of Ottoman Art, Koç University) and Stefano Carboni (Metropolitan Museum of Art).