Ottoman sculpture art and Yervant Oskan Effendi

During the early and developing periods of the Ottoman Empire, sculpture remained within a very limited sphere and found no opportunity for development. Despite a few attempts, the practice of sculpture as a discipline became possible with the opening of the School of Fine Arts in the last quarter of the 19th century. The opening of the sculpture department and the commencement of education at this school, established in 1883, can be considered the official beginning of Ottoman sculpture. The contributions of Armenian artist Yervant Oskan Efendi to the development of sculpture cannot be overlooked. Yervant Oskan Efendi taught in the sculpture department of the School of Fine Arts and served as deputy director of the Imperial Museum. He shaped, developed, and made numerous contributions to Ottoman sculpture, primarily through himself and the students he trained. A multifaceted figure, Yervant Oskan Efendi, not only worked in the field of sculpture but also, with Osman Hamdi Bey, the Director of the Imperial Museum, conducted archaeological expeditions and carried out restoration work on artifacts inherited from the museum. In this research, the development of sculpture in the Ottoman Empire will be discussed and Yervant Oskan Efendi's life, his understanding of art and the students he trained will be evaluated through first-hand sources and literature.