Made by the Workshop of Ahmed Tekelü / Yatagan / ca. 1525-30

Made by the Workshop of Ahmed Tekelü
Yatagan
ca. 1525-30
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Creator Name: Tekel, Ahmed
Creator Qualifier: Workshop of
Creator Nationality: Asian; Anatolian; Turkish
Creator Name-CRT: Made by the Workshop of Ahmed Tekelü
Title: Yatagan
Title Type: Object name
View: Full View
Creation Start Date: 1525
Creation End Date: 1530
Creation Date: ca. 1525-30
Object Type: Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Classification Term: Arms
Materials and Techniques: Steel, walrus ivory, gold, silver, rubies, turquoise, pearl
Dimensions: L. 23 3/8 in. (59.3 cm)
AMICA Contributor: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location: New York, New York, USA
ID Number: 1993.14
Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1993
Rights: http://www.metmuseum.org/
Context:

Exquisite workmanship and lavish use of precious materials distinguish this sword as a princely weapon. It is almost identical to a 'yatagan' (Topkapi Palace, Istanbul) made in 1526 or 1527 by the court jeweler Ahmed Tekelü for the Ottoman sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (r. 1520-66). There can be little doubt that the Metropolitan's sword was made in the same imperial workshop, probably for presentation to a high-ranking courtier.

The gold incrustation on the blade depicts a combat between a dragon and a phoenix against a background of foliate scrolls. These figures, like the gold-inlaid cloud bands on the ivory grip, are Chinese in origin and were probably introduced into Ottoman art through contacts with Persia. The extremely high relief of the delicately modeled goldsmith's work, and the use of rubies for eyes, silver for the dragon's teeth, and a pearl set into the phoenix's head, exemplify the opulence and refinement of Ottoman luxury arts.

This sword is one of the earliest known 'yatagans,' distinctly Turkish weapons characterized by a double-curved blade and a hilt without a guard. 'Yatagans' were commonplace in Turkey and the Balkans in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and served as sidearms for the elite troops known as janissaries.

AMICA ID: MMA_.1993.14
AMICA Library Year: 2000
Media Metadata Rights: Copyright The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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