Saz style

also: saz yolu

style c. 1520-1600 Ottoman Empire Turkey

Saz style is a mode of vegetal ornament and the court art style built around it, developed in the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. Its name comes from the saz, or reed, whose long, feathery, saw-toothed leaves curl through its compositions alongside oversized composite blossoms. The style took shape at the Istanbul court after the painter Şahkulu arrived from Tabriz around 1520, drawing on Aqqoyunlu and Safavid precedents; Veli Can carried it into its later phase. Lyrical rather than narrative, saz style conjures enchanted forests where dragons, phoenixes, qilin and peris move among cloud bands and Cathayan (hatayi) motifs, all rendered with virtuosic reed-pen line. It flourished in album drawings and manuscript illumination, then spread into textiles, ceramics, metalwork and carpets, reaching its peak under Murad III before fading after 1600.

Tiles covering the exterior of the Sünnet Odasi (Circumcision Room) in Topkapi Palace, Istanbul. The tiles date from different periods in th
Tiles covering the exterior of the Sünnet Odasi (Circumcision Room) in Topkapi Palace, Istanbul. The tiles date from different periods in thCC BY-SA 4.0 (credit: R Prazeres) · source

Defining characteristics

  • Long, feathery, saw-toothed leaves sweeping in rhythmic curves across the composition
  • Oversized composite blossoms (hatayi motifs) intertwined with dense foliage
  • Mythical creatures - dragons, phoenixes, qilin, simurgh, peri - moving through enchanted forests
  • Chinese-derived cloud bands and other Cathayan motifs
  • Fluid, virtuosic line drawn with the saz qalam (reed pen)
  • The self-piercing twisted leaf motif

Key figures

  • Şahkulu (fl. c. 1520-1556) — Painter from Tabriz who played the leading role in forming the saz style at the Istanbul court
  • Veli Can (fl. c. 1580-1600) — Tabriz-born painter of the style's later phase, known for figural subjects
  • Murad III (1546-1595) — Ottoman sultan and chief patron under whom the style reached its apogee

Example works

  • Muraqqa compiled for the future Murad III (ÖNB, Cod. Mixt. 313) — Ottoman court workshop (1572-1573)

Sources

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