Levni was a miniature artist of 18th century in the Ottoman Era and he was an artist of his times. He lived in an era of the Ottoman Empire where there was a vibrant cultural life and pleasure seeking daily life where Sultans wanted to be entertained by the sweet waters of the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus by musicians, poets and dancers.
Levni (1680-1732)
He has drawn the rich cultural life of the period and released it under the title Surname. Currently preserved in the Topkapi Palace Museum, the work illustrates 137 paintings that reflect the events, people and the spirit of the enchanting age which historians calls the the Tulip Age.
Check out Esin Atıl’s book in order to understand Surname better
I am especially fascinated by Levni’s women from the 18th century Ottoman İstanbul. I recalled having been baffled by the light spirited and even erotic ‘women of Levni’ when I first saw them. These are women in motion, with costumes that depict their feminine lines, in colourful costumes with mischievous smiles on their faces, with flowers in their hands reclining, making music or dancing. They are all gay and strong. Not the stereotype I have of the oppressed Ottoman women living under the veil. They are flesh and blood and fully alive even from the gaze of the contemporary world.
Here are some of Levni’s women who fascinate me! You might also be tempted by their charm after 250 years.
I am especially fascinated with the ‘la belle indifference’ of Levni’s 250 years old reclining woman! We need her mindset in contemporary İstanbul where anxiety rules our psychic lives.
