Kırk Vezir Hikayesinin Resimli Nüshaları
Özet
The subject of the thesis entitled Illustrated Copies of the Story of Forty Viziers, nearly
identical two illustrated copies of manuscripts produced in the last of 16th century. One
of these copies is undated, contains twelve miniatures and registred at İstanbul University
Library (İÜK. T. 7415). The other copy is dated 1586/1587 (H. 995), in the Turkish
manuscripts (UUL Vet. 38) section of Uppsala University Carolina Rediviva Library in
Sweden and it has seventeen miniatures. As a genre of advice book, in terms of its style
it is thought that the miniatures of the manuscripts were made by Nakkaş Osman and his
team.
The first examples of Story of Forty Viziers were encountered in Ottoman literature in
the 15th century, was translated into Turkish from a lost Arabic original. In the
introductions of some copies of the manuscripts, it is written that it was presented to
Murad II (1421-1451) and Mehmed II (1451-1481). With its entertaining and educational
aspect, Story of Forty Viziers was read with admiration in the Ottoman court. It is not
known for whom the illustrated copies were produced during the reign of Murad III
(1574-1595). Based on the period in which manuscripts were produced, the other works
of Nakkaş Osman and the prominent book patrons of this period; Illustrated copies of the
Story of Forty Viziers, which were prepared quite similarly to each other, were examined
in terms of style and iconography. The manuscripts were evaluated in terms of the text
and image relationship, the differences in the picture program, the problematic of the
work was presented to who and who was its patron has been discussed.
