Nevizade Atayî's Khamsa and it's paintings

The subject of this study is the five known illustrated copies of Hamse, made in the 18th century, by one of the well-known poets of the 17th century, Ataullah bin Yahya, also known as Nevizade Atayî (1583-1635). These are, respectively, Istanbul Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum 1969, Baltimore The Walters Art Museum W. 666, Istanbul Topkapi Palace Museum Library R.816, Philadelphia Free Library T.97, London British Library Or. 13882. There are a total of 142 paintings in the illustrated Hamse copies, which are known to have been predominantly made in the period called the Tulip Era, and it has been determined that the addition of pictures continued throughout the century. In this thesis, the connection of the illustrations with the text was examined, the styles of the painters were analyzed and their place in the contemporary artist and art environment was determined, and the manuscripts were compared with each other in terms of style and iconography. The factors affecting the choice of this masnavi, which is known to have been written at the beginning of the 17th century, to be read and illustrated at the beginning of the 18th century, the making of its illustrated copies, and the continuation of the process of adding/making depictions later for almost a century have been investigated. Within this context, it has been determined that they have unprecented content and representations in a "literary work". It has been determined that Atayi's superior success in reflecting his period and city life, which he provided with his text, is also reflected in the paintings, not only with their subjects, but also from their techniques to their compositions. The findings of this thesis also suggest many possibilities of patronage regarding both the formation of works and the purposes of production/consumption. The existence of purposes/targets other than aesthetic concerns in the production and consumption processes of illustrated copies proves that these works, at least some of which are likely to be included in the "palace" environment of their owners, reflect not only the changing visual understandings with their content and pictures, but also the political and social environments that make up it.