Surname-i Vehbi

A miniature-illustrated manuscript of an 18th Century Festival in Ottoman Istanbul The original of this outstanding work, which is in the library of the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul, contains 137 brilliantly-colored miniatures by Levni, the renowned painter of the court of Ahmed III (1703-1740). The miniatures illustrate a fifteen-day festival held on the occasion of the circumcision of four of the Sultan’s sons in 1720. Surname-i Vehbi follows in the longstanding Ottoman tradition of preparing specially written and illustrated books to commemorate festivities that took place on special occasions, such as royal births, weddings, and the like. These celebrations were marked by activities that included parades, musical performances, circus acts and fireworks displays, all of which were brilliantly captured and executed by Levni in his miniatures. With one exception, the miniatures in this striking volume cover two pages. The text for the book was composed by Vehbi, a famed court poet, and appears in full in this facsimile edition.

A transcription of the original Ottoman text by Dr Mertol Tulum and a translation into English by Robert Bragner are provided in a separate volume.Introduction essays by two Turkish scholars; Dr Kuban and Dr Yerasimos provide the reader a deeper understanding of the Ottoman society.

For the facsimile edition , a specially produced paper was used to duplicate the appearance and texture of the original volume. State-of-the-art reproduction and printing techniques were employed to ensure that this facsimile edition is a faithful copy of this distinguished work. Hand-bound by experienced craftsmen, this is a limited edition of only 1,500 copies.

Volume 1: 36 x 23 cm, 350 pages; Volume 2: 36 x 23 cm, 56 pages; Volume 3: 36 x 23 cm, 310 pages, Printed and hand bound in Switzerland and presented in a slipcase.