Gy. Hazai, B. Kellner-Heinkele, I. Parlatir (eds): Miniatures, figures and illuminations from the Turkish manuscripts preserved in the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Preface

Preface The Ottoman Turkish manuscripts, conserved in the Oriental Collection of the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest, can be described as an almost unknown treasure of books from the 14th to the 19th century. Since its establishment, only a small number of its works have been edited, or otherwise made accessible, to Ottomanists. This important collection is composed of several smaller manuscript collections, Hungarian turkologists of the 19th century had been able to acquire, mainly in Istanbul. The story of how the collection came into existence, is told in some detail in the introduction of the catalogue devoted to its holdings.* The number of manuscripts might not quite compare with that of the well-known major collections of Ottoman Turkish manuscripts outside Turkey, however, the quality of the texts, and the large amount of themes they cover, make this holding an important source for scholars of all disciplines within Ottoman studies. Again, the manuscripts in the Budapest collection may not rival the splendid books found in Turkey, or elsewhere, but the unique or rare works kept in it, as well as the early versions of some of the very widespread and popular texts, make it certainly a first rate collection. In this way, it constitutes a lasting tribute to the knowledge and discriminating tastes of its first owners. Some of the 811 works in the Budapest collection contain miniatures in different numbers, dating from the 17th to 19th century. Their quality ranges between fairly good to popular. Unfortunately, their state of conservation is often quite precarious. For the present booklet, which addresses a wider circle of readers, some of the better preserved miniatures were chosen for publication. In some cases, the reader will be able to recognize yet another version of some of the frequently represented topics of Islamic belles lettres (Khosrow and Shirin, Alexander the Great, etc.); while in other cases, the topic might be less well-known (Ma 'rifetname). The coloured drawings chosen among the 75 to be found in the Hadikatii zziirefa deserve particular attention. However 'primitive' they might appear at first, they nevertheless represent an example of individual popular workmanship, a genre which usually is not dealt with in the contemporary literature on Ottoman miniature painting. The drawings in question demonstrate a curious attitude towards space, and a playful sense of drama. In addition, a small sample of carefully executed illuminations of opening pages (serlevha), is reproduced in this booklet. We would like to thank the staff of the Oriental Collection of the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for their support during the preparation of this publication. *tsmail Parlatir - György Hazai, Macar Bilimler Akademisi Kütüphanesindeki Turkfe El Yazmalari Katalogu. Ankara 2007 (= Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi Yayinlan 13). • ismail Parlatir - György Hazai - Barbara KellnerHeinkele, Catalogue of Turkish manuscripts in the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Budapest, 2007. 3