Zelymus der Dreizehende Türkisch Keyser (The Eleventh Turkish Emperor Selim II)

Description

This woodcut, with its caption "Zelymus - der Dreizehende Türkisch Keyser" (Selimus, Thirteenth of the Turkish Emperors), constitutes one of the representations of the Ottoman sultan Selim II in early modern European visual culture. The rapid proliferation of Ottoman sultan portraits in Europe between 1520 and 1560 is linked both to the demand by engravers for books on Turkish subjects, known as "Türckenbücher," and to the reflection of the Ottoman Empire's influence in European politics in visual culture. In these works, sultans were generally presented in a consecutive dynastic series, indicating their "number of Turkish emperors." While the term "thirteenth emperor" used for Selim II, the eleventh Ottoman sultan, is chronologically incomplete, it stems from the artists' calculations of the Ottoman dynastic lineage based on Western sources. It is also significant in demonstrating the limited knowledge of Ottoman history in early modern Europe. In the portrait, Selim II is depicted within the typical "Oriental ruler" aesthetic frequently employed by Western artists when representing Ottoman rulers. The sultan, with his broad turban, a cone-shaped crest adorned with feathers, and a beard thickly rendered with hatching, presents a figure both ceremonial and exotic. His caftan, a richly patterned attire common in Western engravings, does not fully reflect Ottoman court fashion but rather reflects the artist's understanding of "oriental splendor." While such depictions do not directly correspond to Selim II's historical persona, they are part of an iconographic tradition that defined Ottoman sultans in Europe along the lines of power, wealth, and cultural distinction. While this engraving does not directly depict a historical scene from the reign of Selim II, it provides a remarkable example of how visual memory of the Ottoman sultans was constructed in early modern Europe, and how Ottoman rulers were "cataloged" and artistically represented in the West. Furthermore, the engraving reflects the 16th-century German wood engraving (Holzschnitt) technique, with its sharp contour lines, dense parallel hatching of faces and fabrics, and a nearly square, bordered composition. This engraving appears in the book Cosmographia Universalis … by Sebastian Münster, first published in 1544. Over the years, the book has undergone numerous editions and revisions, becoming one of the most important works of geography and history of the 16th century. Containing a wealth of information in the fields of geography, cartography, natural history, and anthropology, the book has been widely used as a reference source by scientists, explorers, and cartographers for centuries. This engraving in our library was published in the 1628 edition of Sebastian Munster’s Cosmographia Universalis …