
Levnî Abdülcelil Çelebi (1680s–1732) early 18th century
Ottoman court painter
A court painter was an artist who painted for the members of a royal or princely family, sometimes on a fixed salary and on an exclusive basis where the artist was not supposed to undertake other work. Painters were the most common, but the cour ...
at the court of
Mustafa II
Mustafa II (; ''Muṣṭafā-yi sānī''; 6 February 1664 – 29 December 1703) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1695 to 1703.
Early life
He was born at Edirne Palace on 6 February 1664. He was the son of Sultan Mehmed IV (1648–87 ...
and later
Ahmed III. He was a prominent
miniaturist during the
Tulip Period, well-regarded for his traditional yet innovative style.
Biography
Levnî Abdülcelil Çelebi was born in
Edirne
Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...
and most likely belonged to a high class family in the empire because his title,
Çelebi
Çelebi (, ) was an Ottoman title of respect, approximately corresponding to "gentleman", "well-mannered" or "courteous". ''Çelebi'' also means "man of God", as an ''i''-suffixed derivative from ''çalab'' (), which means "God" in Ottoman Turki ...
, means "
gentleman
''Gentleman'' (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man; abbreviated ''gent.'') is a term for a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire ...
".
As a young man, he journeyed to
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
, where he pursued studies at the painting academy located within the Topkapı Palace. Levnî began his work in
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
during
Sultan Mustafa II's rule and eventually became chief painter (boyacı) at the palace
atelier
An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or vi ...
.
During his stay at the palace, he specialized in the
Saz style, which is characterized by stylized leaf designs.
In spite of his high artist status, his name does not appear on a lists of artists working for the palace during his time.
However, his signed artworks and influence on subsequent artists are evidence that he was an important artist of his time.
Levnî died in
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
during the early 18th century.
Levni's Name - "Levni, translated as 'colourist,' is renowned for his miniatures, which can be likened to a vibrant garden or a harmonious symphony of colors. This is why he became known as Levni, departing from his actual name, Abdülcelil Çelebi."
Notable works
Levnî's most notable works include the ''Kebir Musavver Silsilename'' in
Topkapi Palace Library (A3109), ''
Surname-i Vehbi'' ("Book of Festivals") in the Library of Ahmed II in Topkapi Palace Museum, and an ''Album'' of miniatures at the Topkapi Palace Library.
''Kebir Musaver Silsilmane, Topkapi Palace Museum Library''

Also known as the ''Series of Sultan Portraits'', this work contains twenty-three
padishas, including portraits of Sultan
Mahmud I, Sultan
Osman III, Sultan
Mustafa III
Mustafa III (; ''Muṣṭafā-yi sālis''; 28 January 1717 – 21 January 1774) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1757 to 1774. He was a son of Sultan Ahmed III (1703–30), and his consort Mihrişah Kadın. He was succeeded b ...
, and Sultan
Abdülhamid I.
Gathering influence from western styles, particularly portraiture of
Rafael, Levnî created a genealogical tree of the Sultans using images instead of text like traditional padishas.
Levnî's signature style in this work is evident in the size and color of the portraits in the book.
His portraits are large (14.3 cm x 23.5 cm x 16.4 cm x 25 cm), and the subjects are turned 3/4 to the right or left of the view of the viewer.
Additionally, he used a wide range of colors, both bright primary and pastel tones.
His combination of color palettes was innovative for its time and gave way to a new style of Ottoman miniature art.
''Surname-i Vehbi''
This exceptional work is a manuscript from the 18th Century, portraying a festival in Ottoman Istanbul. The original, housed in the
Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul, features 137 vividly colored miniatures by Levni, a renowned painter from the court of Ahmed III (1703-1740). These miniatures vividly depict a fifteen-day festival celebrating the circumcision of four of the Sultan's sons in 1720. Surname-i Vehbi adheres to the longstanding Ottoman tradition of creating specially crafted books with both written content and illustrations to commemorate significant events like royal births and weddings. The festivities, including parades, musical performances, circus acts, and fireworks displays, are eloquently captured by Levni's artistic skill in his miniatures, most of which span two pages in this remarkable volume. The accompanying text for the book, authored by Vehbi, a renowned court poet, is presented in its entirety in this facsimile edition, offering a comprehensive glimpse into the historical celebration.
Levnî was commissioned by Seyyd Hüseyin Vehbi to record the event in manuscript form.
The miniatures in the ''Surname-i Vebbi'' are elaborate, capturing varying angles of movement in a wide range of colors and shapes.
There is also evidence of the
Persian influence in the paintings, some examples of which are the cultural objects in the background and the attire of some of the figures.
''Album Paintings''
The ''Album paintings'' captures daily life in the Ottoman empire during the
Tulip period.
In it, Levnî painted portraits of various people of both noble and common backgrounds in different poses and doing everyday activities.
Each image is separated form the others and has its own color composition and subject matter.
The styles of attire, fabric patterns and the type of activities reflect the finery and richness of the Tulip Period.
Other works
Levni was also a notable poet and wrote on the subjects of heroism and war and daily life in the Ottoman empire.
Some of his work are found in the poetry manuscript (Mecmua-i Es'ar, H1715) in the Treasure Library of Topkapi Palace Museum Library.
Like his paintings, Levnî combined traditional styles of courts, particularly the
aruz meter, as well as humor and popular language of the people in his poetry.
Examples of Levnî's miniatures
File:Levni mehter.jpg
File:Surname 22b.jpg
File:Surname 11a.jpg
File:Surname 51b.jpg
File:Surname 27.jpg
File:Surname 71b.jpg
File:Surname 57b-58.jpg
File:Surname 174b.jpg
File:Abudlcelil Levni - Sultan.jpg
File:Musicians and dancers from ottoman empire.jpg
File:Palace maiden.jpg
See also
*
Culture of the Ottoman Empire
The culture of the Ottoman Empire evolved over several centuries as the ruling administration of the Turkish peoples, Turks absorbed, adapted and modified the various native cultures of conquered lands and their peoples. There was influence from t ...
References
*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levni, Abdulcelil
Year of birth missing
1732 deaths
Miniaturists from the Ottoman Empire
People from Edirne
18th-century artists from the Ottoman Empire
18th-century painters from the Ottoman Empire