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ANKARA ANADOLU VE RUMELI ARAŞTIRMALARI DERGISI = ANKARA'S JOURNAL OF ANATOLIA AND RUMELIA STUDIES, vol.3, no.6, pp.323-347, 2022 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)
In this study, the Hilye-i Saadet plate, which is one
of the hidden treasures of the Antalya Museum and stands out with its
depiction of the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, has been examined in the context
of its content, form and ornamental features. The Hilye-i Saadet plate,
registered with the inventory number 26.75.75, was purchased from the
Alanya Museum in 1975 and acquised in the Antalya Museum collection.
The hilye, which was kept in the museum storage, was illuminated with
calligraphy on paper and pasted on wood. The Hilye-i Saadet plate having
the date of 1801 has survived to the present day in good condition. This
work (Hilye) gains importance not only because of the richness of the
composition of illumination, but also because it is an authorazition
(icazetname). The fact that the hilye has the qualifications of a qualification
certificate/diploma given to the student by the master makes this work a
privilege among its counterparts. In the ornaments of the hilye, which was
prepared in a classical form, influence of westernization prevailing in the
illumination style of the 19th century is observed. The motifs used in the
ornaments of the hilye attract attention with their vivid colors. In motifs
made on gold, dark blue and sometimes brick red backgrounds; pink, blue,
red, gold, green and white colors were used by painting in tone. At the part
on the top of the hilye, a depiction of architectural elements of the AlMasjid an-Nabawi, accompanied by sand dunes in the background. In the
depiction, where the sand dunes, which are marked with black contour,
create a perspective effect, it is seen that the ground is painted with earth
color and gold, while shades of gray and black are used in the architectural
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texture. The inscriptions in the middle part of the hilye were written in
naskh calligraphy with beyn es-sutur, while the other inscriptions were
written in black soot on a gold background.
Throughout the history of Islam, poets wrote na’t-i serif, siyer, hilyesemâil, miracnâme, mevlid, esmâ-i Nebî, mu’cizât-ı Nebî, forty hadiths,
hundred hadiths and various works in the genres that developed depending
on them, to show their love to prophet Hz Muhammad. One of these
literary genres, "hilye", deals with the physical and character traits of the
Hz. Muhammad. By its dictionary meaning, “Hilye”, which means
ornament, decoration, characterization, creation, image, adjective,
ornament made with precious stones and metals, and the external
appearance of human, is a word of Arabic origin. In Turkish, the word hilye
has found its meaning in the form of "ornaments, ornaments, gems,
beautiful adjectives, beautiful face, and a poetic or prose work describing
the blessed qualities and beauties of the Hz. Muhammad." Hilye-i Saadet
figuratively means the portrait of the Hz. Muhammad made in calligraphy.
Hilye, also known as Hilye-i Şerif, Hilye-i Saadet and Hilye-i Nabawi, is
the general name given to works that describe the physical characteristics,
character, human and moral qualities, attitudes and movements of the Hz.
Muhammad in Islamic literature and calligraphy. In time, the word gained
a special meaning, denoting a plate with a literary genre and its own form,
in relation to its meanings. The writing and illumination o f the hilye in the
form o f a plate is an art tradition that is not seen in other Islamic countries,
but only found in the Ottoman and later Republican period cultural
approach. The hilyes in the form of plates, prepared as a manifestation of
devotion and love to the Hz. Muhammad, had an exceptional place in
Ottoman calligraphy. Hilyes function as a means o f contemplation,
providing the viewer with the opportunity to visualize the Hz. Muhammad
in his mind, to get closer and to integrate with him. Hilye goes beyond
figurative depiction and invites the audience to contemplate the Hz.
Muhammad through visual and cognitive ways that activate abstract
thought and the eye of the heart. In the beginning, portable size verbal
descriptions describing the characteristics of the Hz. Muhammad were first
arranged by Hafiz Osman in the 17th century in the form of an illuminated
and plate. The form and ornamentation concept used in the first hilye by
Hafız Osman, in which Hakani praised the Hz. Muhammad and was
inspired by the Hilye-i Şerif masnavi, was adopted by calligraphers and
illuminators, and these features were repeated in later works.
Hilye illuminations were formed in compositions in which traditional
motifs were used in the first period, but they took their share from the
western-based cultural interaction that emerged in the 18th century.
Eroğlu Bilgin, S., Direr Akhan, A. A. (2022). 19.Yüzyıldan Tasvirli Bir Ahşap Hilye
Örneği. ANKARAD, 3(6), 323-347.
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Western motifs, which entered Turkish art after this interaction brought
about by westernization, were effective in illumination as well as in other
Ottoman arts. In this period, the discovery of the folds which are
characteristic in Baroque and Rococo folds of Europe by the illuminators
led to the enrichment of the compositions. In general, motifs in style of
baroque and rococo characters, painted with tones, and made in a naturalist
style with a light effect with white, were used in harmony with traditional
motifs. The rose motif, which is believed to symbolize the Hz. Muhammad,
is frequently encountered in religious art works produced between the 17th
and 19th centuries. The rose motif, called "Rose of Muhammad", has
become one of the most important metaphors that developed within the late
Ottoman mystical worship traditions and expresses the supernatural beauty
of the Hz. Muhammad. For this reason, single or bouquet-shaped roses
expressing the rose metaphor are frequently repeated in hilye
illuminations. The fact that Mecca and Medina depictions began to appear
on hilye illuminations in the 18th and 19th centuries is another example of
metaphor. These depictions, which can be said to be the product of an effort
to embody the invisible Hz. Muhammad with symbols about him, are like
the complement of hilye illuminations. Of course, the visual portrait of the
Hz. Muhammad is not a one-to-one description, on the contrary, it is a
mental image created in the world o f imagination and directed by a strong
bond of love. When evaluated in this context, Hilye-i Saadet plates should
be accepted as art productions that emerged as a result of the effort to
visualize the indescribable mental and sacred image by means of
calligraphy