Esmâ Ibret Hanim

Esmâ Ibret Hanim (b. 1780) was an Ottoman calligrapher and poet, noted as the most successful female calligrapher of her day.

Hilye-i sharif, written by the sülüs-nesih line, by Esmâ İbret Hanım. Museum of Turkish and Islamic Works

Life and work

In the 18th-century Ottoman period, calligraphy was monopolised by males. However, a small number of female calligraphers, such as Esmâ Ibret and Şerife Fatma, successfully trained as calligraphers and were able to make valuable contributions in their field. [1]

Esmâ Ibret Hanim was born in Istanbul in 1194 (1780).[2] Her father was Serhasekiyan-i hassa Ahmed Ağa. From her childhood she began to write sülüs-nesih and icâzet, copying the work of Mahmud Celâleddin Efendi. By the age of 15, her talent was widely recognised amongst family and friends. Her father liked to trick his friends by showing them her work and then watch his friends' amazed responses when they were told that his daughter was the scribe.[3]

She studied calligraphy with Mahmud Celâleddin. He had been shown a book prepared by her, and it was so good and so uncharacteristically "female" that at first he did not believe it was her work. On investigation however, he was persauded of her talent and accepted her as a pupil. She later married her master.[4] While her husband worked on revising the scripts, she followed in the style of Hâfiz Osman, producing elegant work in the sülüs-nesih script.[5]

She wrote a hilye that was presented to Selim III and his mother, who were so impressed that they arranged gave her a grant of 500 Kuruş and arranged for a daily allowance of 500 Akçes, to be paid by the Customs Office.[6]

She is generally regarded as the finest female calligrapher of her era. [7] Her work is only partially documented.[8] Examples of İbret's work can be found in the Topkapı Palace Museum.[9] Other examples of her work include:[10]

  • Hilye-i Sharīf, gift for the Vālide Sultan (queen mother), now at the Topkapi Palace Museum
  • Hilye-i Sharīf, dated 1209/1795, now at the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum
  • Alif juzu (Arabic alphabet), dated 1213/1798-99 at the Ekrem Hakki Ayverdi Collection
  • Dalāil-i Hayrāt now at Istanbul University Library
  • Qit'a, dated 1222/1807, now at the Ekrem Hakki Ayverdi Collection
  • Qit'a, undated, now at the Saffet Tanman Collection

Both she and her husband lived long lives. Her date of death is not known. She is buried by her husband.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Emel Doğramacı Status of Women in Turkey Meteksan, 1984, p. 168
  2. ↑ Turkish Biographical Index, Walter de Gruyter, 2011, p. 362
  3. ↑ M. Ugur Derman, "Esmâ Ibret" [Biographical Notes], Islam Encyclopedia, Online (in Turkish):
  4. ↑ M. Uğur Derman, Letters in Gold: Ottoman Calligraphy from the Sakıp Sabancı Collection, Istanbul, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1998, p. 108
  5. ↑ M. Ugur Derman, "The Art of Calligraphy in the Ottoman Regime", in: Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu (ed.), History of Ottoman State and Civilisation, II, Istanbul 2003, pp 645-652
  6. ↑ Davis, F., Gurun, S. andc Esch, M.E., The Ottoman Lady: A Social History from 1718 to 1918, Bruce Van Leer Greenwood Publishing Group, 1986 p, 225; Selçuk Mülayim, İlhan Akşit, Turkish Art and Architecture in Anatolia & Mimar Sinan Akşit, 2005, p. 264
  7. ↑ Kemal Çiçek, Ercüment Kuran, Nejat Göyünç, İlber Ortaylı, The Great Ottoman-Turkish Civilisation: Culture and Arts, Yeni Türkiye, 2000; M. Uğur Derman, Letters in Gold: Ottoman Calligraphy from the Sakıp Sabancı Collection, Istanbul, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1998, p. 108
  8. ↑ David Simonowitz A Modern Master of Islamic Calligraphy and Her Peers Journal of Middle East Women's Studies (2010) 6 (1): 75-102.https://doi.org/10.2979.MEW.2010.6.1.75
  9. ↑ Tezer Taşkıran, Women in Turkey, Redhouse Yaylnevi, 1976, p. 21
  10. ↑ Kazan, H., Dünden Bugüne Hanım Hattatlar (Female Calligraphers Past And Present), Istanbul: İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi, 2010
  11. ↑ Ünal Kurtçu, Boğaziçi Tiryakiliği, Elips Kitap, Bosporus (Turkey),2007, p. 123
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