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{{Short description|Painting by Osman Hamdi Bey}}
{{Infobox Artwork
{{Infobox Artwork
| image_file=Osman Hamdi Bey - The Tortoise Trainer - Google Art Project.jpg
| image_file=Osman Hamdi Bey - The Tortoise Trainer - Google Art Project.jpg
| alt=
| alt=
| image_size=274px
| image_size=250px
| title=The Tortoise Trainer
| title=The Tortoise Trainer
| other_language_1=Turkish
| other_language_1=Turkish
Line 8: Line 9:
| artist=[[Osman Hamdi Bey]]
| artist=[[Osman Hamdi Bey]]
| year=1906
| year=1906
| type=oil on canvas
| medium=oil on canvas
| height_metric=2,215
| height_metric=221.5
| width_metric=1,200
| width_metric=120.0
| height_imperial=87.2
| height_imperial=87.2
| width_imperial=47.24
| width_imperial=47.24
| metric_unit=mm
| metric_unit=cm
| imperial_unit=in
| imperial_unit=in
| museum=[[Pera Museum]]
| city=
| museum=[[Pera Museum]], [[Istanbul]]
| city=[[Istanbul]]
}}
}}


'''The Tortoise Trainer''' ([[Turkish language|Turkish]]: ''Kaplumbağa Terbiyecisi'') is a painting by [[Osman Hamdi Bey]] which was crafted in 1906 and 1907 (two versions). In 2004 it was sold for $3.5M and is currently displayed at the [[Pera Museum]] in [[Istanbul]].
'''''The Tortoise Trainer''''' ([[Turkish language|Turkish]]: ''Kaplumbağa Terbiyecisi'') is a painting by [[Osman Hamdi Bey]], with a first version created in 1906 and a second in 1907. Hamdi's painting of an anachronistic historical character attempting to train tortoises is usually interpreted as a satire on the slow and ineffective attempts at [[Tanzimat|reforming the Ottoman Empire]].


==Description==
In the ''Tortoise Trainer'', Osman Hamdi Bey [[satire|satirises]] the slow and ineffective attempts at [[Tanzimat|reforming the Ottoman Empire]], through the attempts of an anachronistic historical character to train tortoises. The painting depicts an elderly man in traditional Ottoman religious costume which predates the introduction of the [[fez]] and the spread of [[dress code (Western)|Western style dress]] with the Tanzimat reforms in the mid 19th century. He holds a traditional [[ney]] flute with which he is attempting to "train" the [[tortoise|tortoises]] at his feet.
The painting depicts an elderly man in traditional Ottoman religious costume: a long red garment with embroidered hem, belted at the waist, and a Turkish [[turban]]. The figure may be a self-portrait of Hamdi himself. The anachronistic costume predates the introduction of the [[Fez (hat)|fez]] and the spread of [[dress code (Western)|Western style dress]] with the [[Tanzimat]] reforms in the mid-19th century. He holds a traditional [[ney]] flute and bears a [[Naqareh|nakkare]] drum on his back, with a drumstick hanging to his front. The man's costume and instruments suggests he may be a [[Dervish]].{{sfn|Aslan|2014|p=118}}

The scene is set in a dilapidated upper room at the [[Green Mosque, Bursa]], where the man is attempting to "train" the five [[tortoise]]s at his feet, but they are ignoring him preferring instead to eat the green leaves on the floor. Above a pointed window is the inscription: {{transl|ota|Şifa'al-kulûp lika'al Mahbub}} ("The healing of the hearts is meeting with the beloved").{{sfn|Aslan|2014|p=119}}{{sfn|Eldem|2012|p=380}}

==Versions==
The first version of Hamdi's painting was exhibited at the [[Grand Palais]] in the 1906 [[Paris Salon]], under the title ''L'homme aux Tortues'' ("Man with tortoises"). It was formerly in the collection of Turkish businessman {{ill|Erol Aksoy|tr||de}}. It was sold for US$3.5 million in 2004 and is currently displayed at the [[Pera Museum]] in [[Istanbul]].{{sfn|Nisa|2015|p=180}}{{sfn|Eldem|2012|p=348}}

A second smaller version was completed in 1907, dedicated to his child's father-in-law, [[Salih Münir Pasha]]. The second version was bought by the journalist {{ill|Erol Simavi|tr}} in the 1980s, and was exhibited at the [[Sakıp Sabancı Museum]] in 2009.{{sfn|Nisa|2015|p=182}}

Both may be inspired by an article that Hamdi read in the ''[[Le Tour du Monde]]'' travel journal decades before, which described Korean tortoise trainers in Japan, who trained their animals to walk in lines to the beat of a drum.{{sfn|Eldem|2012|p=350}}


==Historic context==
==Historic context==
Osman Hamdi Bey created the painting at a time of great social and political turmoil in the [[Ottoman Empire]]. The reforms introduced by Sultan [[Abdul Hamid II|Abdülhamid II]] had either proved ineffective, or had been blamed for the increased upheaval. The Ottoman Empire, which still encompassed parts of the [[Balkans|Balkan peninsula]], parts of [[North Africa]], all of [[Anatolia]] and the [[Levant]], and much of the [[Arabia|Arabian peninsula]] at the turn of the 20th century, was under serious threat from both the growing power of [[rise of nationalism under the Ottoman Empire|nationalist movements within its territory]], and from the [[Eastern Question|incursions of foreign powers]] which would eventually divide the empire between them in the aftermath of the [[First World War]].
Osman Hamdi Bey created the painting at a time of great social and political turmoil in the [[Ottoman Empire]]. The reforms introduced by Sultan [[Abdülhamid II]] had either proved ineffective, or had been blamed for the increased upheaval. The Ottoman Empire, which still encompassed parts of the [[Balkans|Balkan peninsula]], parts of [[North Africa]], all of [[Anatolia]] and the [[Levant]], and much of the [[Arabia|Arabian peninsula]] at the turn of the 20th century, was under serious threat from both the growing power of [[rise of nationalism under the Ottoman Empire|nationalist movements within its territory]], and from the [[Eastern Question|incursions of foreign powers]] which would eventually divide the Empire between them in the aftermath of the [[First World War]].{{sfn|Pera Museum}}


Although not widely shown or understood at the time, the painting achieved greater significance in subsequent decades as it presaged the [[Young Turk Revolution]] of 1908 which brought an [[Second Constitutional Era|end to the direct autocratic rule by the Sultan]] (replaced by the regime of the [[Three Pashas]] after the [[1913 Ottoman coup d'état|1913 coup d'état]]) and set the stage for the Empire's entry into the [[First World War]] on the side of the [[Central Powers]] and for its subsequent [[partitioning of the Ottoman Empire|partitioning]].
Although not widely shown or understood at the time, the painting achieved greater significance in subsequent decades as it presaged the [[Young Turk Revolution]] of 1908 which brought an [[Second Constitutional Era|end to the direct autocratic rule by the Sultan]] (eventually replaced by the regime of the [[Three Pashas]] after the [[1913 Ottoman coup d'état|1913 coup d'état]]) and set the stage for the Empire's entry into the [[First World War]] on the side of the [[Central Powers]] and for its subsequent [[partitioning of the Ottoman Empire|partitioning]].{{sfn|Nisa|2015|pp=184-185}}

<gallery>
File:Kaplumbağa Terbiyecisi vers2.jpg| Second version, 1907, private collection{{sfn|Aslan|2014|p=118}}
File:Charmeur de tortues.jpg| "Charmeur de tortues", in ''[[Le Tour du Monde]]'', 1869{{sfn|Eldem|2012|p=349}}
</gallery>


==References==
==References==
===Citations===
* [http://en.peramuzesi.org.tr/Artwork/The-Tortoise-Trainer/92/15 "The Tortoise Trainer"] at the [[Pera Museum]], [[Istanbul]].
{{reflist|20em}}
<!-- THE ANALYSIS OF THE PAINTING "KAPLUMBAGA TERBIYECISI: TORTOISES TRAINER" (1906-1907) OF OSMAN HAMDI IN TERMS OF OTTOMAN LEADERSHIP

Aslan, Sebnem. IIB International Refereed Academic Social Sciences Journal5.16 (Oct-Dec 2014): 115-137. -->
===Bibliography===
* {{cite journal |last1=Aslan |first1=Sebnem |title=The Analysis of the Painting "Kaplumbaga Terbiyecisi: Tortoises Trainer" (1906-1907) of Osman Hamdi in Terms of Ottoman Leadership |journal=IIB International Refereed Academic Social Sciences Journal |date=2014 |volume=5 |issue=16 |pages=115–137 |issn=2146-5886}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Eldem |first1=Edhem |title=Making Sense of Osman Hamdi Bey and his paintings |journal=Muqarnas |date=2012 |volume=29 |pages=339–383 |doi=10.1163/22118993-90000189 |issn=0732-2992 |jstor=23350369}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Nisa |first1=Ari |title=The Purchase on Modernity: The Turkish National Narrative and Osman Hamdi Bey's The Tortoise Trainer. |journal=Thresholds |date=2015 |volume=43 |pages=178–235 |doi=10.1162/thld_a_00067}}
* {{cite web |title=The Tortoise Trainer |url=http://en.peramuzesi.org.tr/Artwork/The-Tortoise-Trainer/92/15 |publisher=Pera Museum |access-date=7 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627112000/https://www.peramuseum.org/Artwork/The-Tortoise-Trainer/92/15/ |archive-date=27 June 2020 |language=English |url-status=dead |ref={{harvid|Pera Museum}} }}

==External links==
* {{cite web |title=Kaplumbağa Terbiyecisi |url=https://www.peramuzesi.org.tr/Eser/Kaplumbaga-Terbiyecisi/40/1 |publisher=Pera Museum |access-date=7 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014054945/https://www.peramuzesi.org.tr/Eser/Kaplumbaga-Terbiyecisi/40/1 |archive-date=14 October 2013 |url-status=dead |language=Turkish}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Tortoise Trainer, The}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tortoise Trainer, The}}
[[Category:1900s paintings]]
[[Category:1906 paintings]]
[[Category:1907 paintings]]
[[Category:Orientalist paintings]]
[[Category:Ottoman art]]
[[Category:Ottoman art]]
[[Category:Turtles in art]]
[[Category:Satirical works]]
[[Category:Paintings in Turkey]]
[[Category:Paintings by Osman Hamdi Bey]]
[[Category:Musical instruments in art]]

Latest revision as of 02:28, 19 April 2024

The Tortoise Trainer
Turkish: Kaplumbağa Terbiyecisi
ArtistOsman Hamdi Bey
Year1906
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions221.5 cm × 120.0 cm (87.2 in × 47.24 in)
LocationPera Museum, Istanbul

The Tortoise Trainer (Turkish: Kaplumbağa Terbiyecisi) is a painting by Osman Hamdi Bey, with a first version created in 1906 and a second in 1907. Hamdi's painting of an anachronistic historical character attempting to train tortoises is usually interpreted as a satire on the slow and ineffective attempts at reforming the Ottoman Empire.

Description

[edit]

The painting depicts an elderly man in traditional Ottoman religious costume: a long red garment with embroidered hem, belted at the waist, and a Turkish turban. The figure may be a self-portrait of Hamdi himself. The anachronistic costume predates the introduction of the fez and the spread of Western style dress with the Tanzimat reforms in the mid-19th century. He holds a traditional ney flute and bears a nakkare drum on his back, with a drumstick hanging to his front. The man's costume and instruments suggests he may be a Dervish.[1]

The scene is set in a dilapidated upper room at the Green Mosque, Bursa, where the man is attempting to "train" the five tortoises at his feet, but they are ignoring him preferring instead to eat the green leaves on the floor. Above a pointed window is the inscription: Şifa'al-kulûp lika'al Mahbub ("The healing of the hearts is meeting with the beloved").[2][3]

Versions

[edit]

The first version of Hamdi's painting was exhibited at the Grand Palais in the 1906 Paris Salon, under the title L'homme aux Tortues ("Man with tortoises"). It was formerly in the collection of Turkish businessman Erol Aksoy [tr; de]. It was sold for US$3.5 million in 2004 and is currently displayed at the Pera Museum in Istanbul.[4][5]

A second smaller version was completed in 1907, dedicated to his child's father-in-law, Salih Münir Pasha. The second version was bought by the journalist Erol Simavi [tr] in the 1980s, and was exhibited at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum in 2009.[6]

Both may be inspired by an article that Hamdi read in the Le Tour du Monde travel journal decades before, which described Korean tortoise trainers in Japan, who trained their animals to walk in lines to the beat of a drum.[7]

Historic context

[edit]

Osman Hamdi Bey created the painting at a time of great social and political turmoil in the Ottoman Empire. The reforms introduced by Sultan Abdülhamid II had either proved ineffective, or had been blamed for the increased upheaval. The Ottoman Empire, which still encompassed parts of the Balkan peninsula, parts of North Africa, all of Anatolia and the Levant, and much of the Arabian peninsula at the turn of the 20th century, was under serious threat from both the growing power of nationalist movements within its territory, and from the incursions of foreign powers which would eventually divide the Empire between them in the aftermath of the First World War.[8]

Although not widely shown or understood at the time, the painting achieved greater significance in subsequent decades as it presaged the Young Turk Revolution of 1908 which brought an end to the direct autocratic rule by the Sultan (eventually replaced by the regime of the Three Pashas after the 1913 coup d'état) and set the stage for the Empire's entry into the First World War on the side of the Central Powers and for its subsequent partitioning.[9]

References

[edit]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Aslan 2014, p. 118.
  2. ^ Aslan 2014, p. 119.
  3. ^ Eldem 2012, p. 380.
  4. ^ Nisa 2015, p. 180.
  5. ^ Eldem 2012, p. 348.
  6. ^ Nisa 2015, p. 182.
  7. ^ Eldem 2012, p. 350.
  8. ^ Pera Museum.
  9. ^ Nisa 2015, pp. 184–185.
  10. ^ Eldem 2012, p. 349.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Aslan, Sebnem (2014). "The Analysis of the Painting "Kaplumbaga Terbiyecisi: Tortoises Trainer" (1906-1907) of Osman Hamdi in Terms of Ottoman Leadership". IIB International Refereed Academic Social Sciences Journal. 5 (16): 115–137. ISSN 2146-5886.
  • Eldem, Edhem (2012). "Making Sense of Osman Hamdi Bey and his paintings". Muqarnas. 29: 339–383. doi:10.1163/22118993-90000189. ISSN 0732-2992. JSTOR 23350369.
  • Nisa, Ari (2015). "The Purchase on Modernity: The Turkish National Narrative and Osman Hamdi Bey's The Tortoise Trainer". Thresholds. 43: 178–235. doi:10.1162/thld_a_00067.
  • "The Tortoise Trainer". Pera Museum. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
[edit]
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