Abdulcelil Levni

Levnî Abdulcelil Çelebi (1680s–1732) was an early 18th century Ottoman court painter under the Sultans Mustafa II and Ahmed III. He was a prominent Ottoman miniaturist during the Tulip Period, well-regarded for his traditional yet innovative style.

Levni's Signature on a miniature painting of a tulip (1720).

Biography

Levnî Abdulcelil Çelebi was born in Edirne and most likely belonged to a high class family in the empire because his title, Çelebi, means "gentleman".[1]

Levnî began his work in Istanbul during Sultan Mustafa II's rule and eventually became chief painter at the palace atelier.[2] During his stay at the palace, he specialized in the Saz style, which is characterized by stylized leaf designs.[2] In spite of his high artist status, his name does not appear on a lists of artists working for the palace during his time.[2] However, his signed artworks and influence on subsequent artists are evidence that he was an important artist of his time.[2] Levnî died in Istanbul during the early 18th century.[1]

Notable works

Levnî's most notable works include the Kebir Musavver Silsilename in Topkapi Palace Library (A3109), Surname-i Vehbi ("Book of Festivals") in the Library of Ahmed II in Topkapi Palace Museum, and an Album of miniatures at the Topkapi Palace Library.[1]

Kebir Musaver Silsilmane, Topkapi Palace Museum Library
Portrait of Sultan Murad IV (1623-1640), from Levnî's Kebir Musavver Silsilname, Topkapi Palace Museum.

Also known as the Series of Sultan Portraits, this work contains twenty-three padishas, including portraits of Sultan Mahmud I, Sultan Osman III, Sultan Mustafa III, and Sultan Abdulhamid I.[1] Gathering influence from western styles, particularly portraiture of Rafael, Levnî created a genealogical tree of the Sultans using images instead of text like traditional padishas.[1]

Levnî's signature style in this work is evident in the size and color of the portraits in the book.[1] His portraits are large (14.3 cm x 23.5 cm x 16.4 cm x 25 cm), and the subjects are turned 3/4 to the right or left of the view of the viewer.[2] Additionally, he used a wide range of colors, both bright primary and pastel tones.[1][2] His combination of color palettes was innovative for its time and gave way to a new style of Ottoman miniature art.[1]

Young Woman, Sleeping Beauty. Portrait 11b from the Album by Levnî.
Miniature painting from the Surname-i Vehbi (folio 172a on the left and 171b on the right) by Levni.

Surname-i Vebbi

The Surname-i Vebbi is a ceremony book containing a series of miniatures depicting scenes from the circumcision of the sons of the Sultan in 1720.[3] The event was celebrated for fifteen days and fifteen nights and involved a courtly processions. Levnî was commissioned by Seyyd Hüseyin Vehbi to record the event in manuscript form.[3] The miniatures in the Surname-i Vebbi are elaborate , capturing varying angles of movement in a wide range of colors and shapes.[3] There is also evidence of the Persian influence in the paintings some examples of which are the cultural objects in the background and the attire of some of the figures.[1][3]

Scene from the Surname-i Vehbi.

Album Paintings

The Album paintings captures daily life in the Ottoman empire during the Tulip period.[1][2] In it, Levnî painted portraits of various people of both noble and common backgrounds in different poses and doing everyday activities.[2] Each image is separated form the others and has its own color composition and subject matter.[1][2] The styles of attire, fabric patterns and the type of activities reflect the finery and richness of the Tulip Period.[3]

Other works

Levni was also a notable poet and wrote on the subjects of heroism and war and daily life in the Ottoman empire.[2] Some of his work are found in the poetry manuscript (Mecmua-i Es'ar, H1715) in the Treasure Library of Topkapi Palace Museum Library.[2][3] Like his paintings, Levnî combined traditional styles of courts, particularly the aruz meter, as well as humor and popular language of the people in his poetry.[2]

Examples of Levnî's miniatures

See also

References
  1. Şeyhun, Melis H. (19 December 2003). Two perspectives on the tulip era: a collection of works from Rijksmuseum and Topkapı Palace Museum : Vanmour and Levnî : Topkapı Palace Museum. Istanbul: Topkapı Palace Museum: translators: Reyhan Alp, Linda Stark. pp. 73–101. ISBN 975296057X.
  2. İrepoğlu, Gül, and Levnî (1999). Levni: painting, poetry, color. Istanbul. Istanbul: Society of Friends of Topkapı Palace Museum. pp. 5–185. ISBN 975-7510-05-X.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. Atıl, Esin, Seyyit Vehbî, and Levni. (1999). Levni and the Surname: the story of an eighteenth-century Ottoman festival. Istanbul: Kocbank. pp. 180–200. ISBN 975-6845-03-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

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