450th anniversary of miniaturist Nasuh, contemporary of Michelangelo

This year is the 450^th anniversary of the birth of British dramatist William Shakespeare (1564-1616), and much ado about his life is being presented throughout 2014 in a myriad of conferences around the globe and in London’s The Globe Theatre (renamed Shakespeare’s Globe in 1997).

It is also the 450^th anniversary of the death of Matrakci Nasuh, the Ottoman miniaturist (Skylife, Turkish Airlines, May 2014). Nasuh Matrakci Nasuh (1480-1564) – whose actual name was Nasuh bin Abdullah – was a calligrapher, historian, mathematician, geographer, cartographer, topographer, and miniaturist. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but is believed to be around 1564.

Of Bosnian heritage, Nasuh was involved in documenting Suleyman the Magnificent’s Iraq war campaign at the same time as Michelangelo commenced painting his Day of Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. Nasuh was therefore the Ottoman contemporary of Michelangelo.

Trained in the Palace School (later named the Palace Academy) in art and statesmanship, it was the institution for the Ottoman Empire’s governing elite. He produced two books on mathematics (used as mathematicians’ handbooks) and he also translated the Tabari History and wrote Gift of Warriors. Perhaps he was the first person to devise a war game. Called Matrak, it was a game of sticks. However, it was his artwork that gained prominence across the region, especially in Europe.

He painted cities as miniature maps from an aerial perspective – or bird’s eye view. In fact, they were painted from different perspectives, and in intricate detail. These city views were used as maps because they accurately portrayed the streets, buildings, rivers, and landmarks of the location.

He commenced writing the Suleyman the Magnificent’s Iraq campaign of the 28 months of battle in 1534 which he also illustrated. This was the beginning of his notoriety as a painter and miniaturist. The drawings for the book included a topographical dimension to the miniaturist artwork of the time, and hence it was seen as a perspective not addressed before. Through this innovative style, he provided elaborate details of the battle fields. He carried this style through to his many drawings of cities. He also captured the essence of the cities of Anatolia in the Ottoman period. These “refined aesthetics, precise renderings and detailed drawings” were important in reflecting the architectural history of the cities at that time.