The Codes of Institutional Aesthetics: The Relationship Between Marbling and Bookbinding Art on Muhimme Registers' Covers and Administrative Authority
Abstract
This qualitative study examines the artistic and historical value of the covers of the Ottoman Imperial Council (Divan-ı Hümayun) Mühimme Registers, which are the most important administrative sources of the Ottoman Empire, focusing on temporal change and continuity. The methodology of the study is based on the visual and technical analysis and scanning of the inner and outer covers of 274 Mühimme Registers located in the Ottoman Archive Document Scanning System. Findings indicate that the outer covers, typically featuring dark leather and minimalist cartouches, represent institutional seriousness and administrative authority, whereas the inner marbling (ebru) pages reflect individual artistic richness and freedom of expression. A distinct stylistic shift was detected in marbling techniques: from the densely textured early Battal style towards mechanical Combed (Taraklı) and simplified Swirl (Gelgit) styles in later periods, mirroring corporate pragmatism. This stylistic evolution symbolizes the adaptation of aesthetic sensibility in state archiving to the pursuit of speed and efficiency, necessitated by the increasing volume of documentation. The study positions the Mühimme Registers not merely as legal documents, but as a visual corpus documenting the evolution of Ottoman book art.
Keywords
Mühimme Registers, Ottoman illuminatin, Marbling
Thanks
I would like to thank Dr. Sait Mübin Çalış, Assistant Professor at Kahramanmaraş İstiklal University, for her assistance with the English translation.
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