Rosary of World History

Illuminated family trees like this were created throughout the Ottoman Empire and were often owned by state functionaries. Although these family trees offer little in the way of new insights for historians, they are nonetheless of great art-historical worth. Vienna is home to one of the finest manuscripts to artfully depict the family tree of the Ottoman dynasty, which is called Subḥat al-aḫbār or “Rosary of World History”.
Such works are typically found recorded on long paper scrolls, whereby the character of the family tree stands out all the more clearly, but this manuscript takes the form of a more functional codex. Nonetheless, the geometric scheme is maintained in book form, and the connecting red lines were stretched to the margins of the pages in order that they build a sequence from page to page.
The text was written by Mahmud ibn Shaik Ramadan and is based on the anonymous work Züb detü t-Tevārīḫ or “Quintessence of Histories” from the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century. It was appended in the years to follow and this manuscript was created during the latter period of Sultan Meḥmed IV’s reign (r. 1648–1687).

A Magnificent Imperial Genealogy

The genealogy begins with Adam and Eve and includes their children, prophets of the Old Testament, portraits of Persian rulers, Alexander the Great, John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, Mohammed and the caliphs who followed him, and other important religious figures. This bloodline continues through the most important emirs and caliphs of the Islamic Middle Ages, then Turkish princes, members of later Persian dynasties, the Mongols and Timurids, before finishing with the six Ottoman Sultans who had ruled up to the time when the manuscript was made.
The Sultans appear in portraits while family members are depicted in medallion miniatures, often with gold leaf backgrounds, each with a short biography neatly written in Naskh script written in black and red ink. Artistic influences are evident from both Europe, especially the throne depictions, and Asia with regard to the ornamental perspective. These influences were seamlessly integrated and designed with a splendid color palette and soft shapes by a skilled team of experienced artists, making this a true masterpiece of 17th century Ottoman illumination.