Art of Illumination
tehzip in detail
Writing the Qur’an, the divine word of Allah, was an act of immense importance and magnitude. From the early days of the sahaba, the early companions of the Prophet ﷺ, a great emphasis was placed on learning, writing and teaching the Qur’an where carefully selected scribes were assigned with the special task of meticulously writing the pages of the Qur’an. Over time, this reverence to the written word of God developed into a sacred art form whereby the calligrapher aimed to enhance the beauty of the text. This devotion lead to further attempts to perfect and decorate the calligraphy, so artists began to add gold to physically and visually represent the spiritual magnificence, illumination, and enlightenment of the word of God.
The Qur’an is referred to as “Noor” or light in the spiritual sense. As such, the art of illumination emerged as method add light to the written Qur’an; to physically illuminate the page so that one is able to see the light with the eyes, while the reading illuminates the heart. Tezhip is often regarded as the soul or spirit of Islamic art as it serves a purpose of adding visual decoration to text in an attempt to enhance the spiritual journey of the reader. The combination of beauty and light was aimed to provide an experiential connection with the written word of God. Illumination was mainly used to adorn the Qur’an, however it later became more popular in ornamenting calligraphy pieces, prayer books, royal decrees, marriage contracts and Ijazas (diploma).
Tools required for illumination/tehzip
Traditional tezhip uses certain classical motifs and is applied on paper using paints of varying colours and gold. The gold is one of the primary elements of a piece and the paint is hand crushed by the muzehhibe (tezhip artist) in a laborious process. Thin sheets of 18k, 22k or 24k gold leaf are crushed using a small amount of Arabic gum until the gold reaches a very fine consistency which is sieved through a silk cloth for a smooth final product.
Process of illumination
When painting a pattern, first the gold areas are applied and then burnished with a mühre or burnisher made of agate. This gives the gold a glorious shine. Other commonly used colours are navy, blue, red, shades of pink, yellow and green. Lapis lazuli gemstones were historically also crushed into a fine paint to add a luxurious blue hue to painting. Due to the cost of these expensive materials used in illumination, works were often commissioned by royalty and the wealthy elite appointing only the most skilled artisans of the time. Furthermore, the process of decoration through illumination was time consuming and as such more than one artist may have worked on a single manuscript.
Historical background of tehzip
The Ottomans and Persians contributed significantly to illumination. Early examples of manuscript illumination using geometric forms from Konya were seen in the 14th century. First examples of classical tezhip began to form under the patronage of Mehmed II and sultan Bayezid II who had a special interest in arts of the book and were known to support the arts and encouraged artisans from many different regions to come to Ottoman lands. Topkapi Palace housed a dedicated Nakkashane where miniature and illumination artists worked on illumination projects. Many of the famous artists of the Ottoman era grew up in the Palace Nakkashane and contributed great masterpieces to the art of illumination.
One of the most significant eras for the art of tezhip was during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. This period is considered one of the brightest eras for the art of illumination characterized by ornate, rich masterpieces heavily illuminated in gold and dark blue paint. Floral designs such carnations, tulips, roses and other natural looking motifs became widespread. It was during this time that great illumination artists like Şah Kulu and Kara Memi became famous. Kara Memi introduced new styles that gained so much popularity, that the art was no longer restricted to manuscripts, but found its way to other decorative arts such as fabrics, carpets, tiles and jewellery.
In the 18th century, Western influence of Baroque and Rococo inspired motifs gave rise to the Turkish Rococo illumination style characterized by larger leaves, overly stylized flowers, ribbons, elaborate bouquets, and ornamented vases and columns. The colours became more muted and resembled the style of the French artist of the era.
The 20th century saw tezhip transition in to the background as an art form. This was mainly due to developments such as the printing press. Mass book publication saw a decline in demand for handmade manuscripts and the art form declined in popularity. Interestingly, the art form never disappeared entirely. Many artists continued to teach students privately, even after traditional madrasahs were shut down. This may have been attributed to a sense of obligation to preserve tezhip not only as a traditional Ottoman art form but as a sacred Islamic art form. Much like calligraphy and the knowledge of the different scripts has been preserved and passed on from master to student for hundreds of years, tezhip has preserved a similar legacy. The ultimate goal of which is to connect visual beauty with a spiritual experience.