The Transfer of the Istanbul Glassblowers (Şişeci Esnafı) to the Tekfur Sarayı in 1762

Abstract

Glass has a long history in the cultures of Islam, Byzantium, Rome, and in the cultures of the Ancient Orient. Glass originating from all these cultures can be found in numerous museums throughout the world. In 2001, Stefano Carboni and David Whitehouse presented the exhibition “Glass of the Sultans”, based on the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, and the Bennaki Museum in Athens. It was exhibited consecutively in the three museums. [Stefano Carboni and David Whitehouse with contributions by Robert H. Brill and William Gudenrath, Glass of the Sultans (New Haven & London 2001).] Although its title ought to include the Ottoman sultan, no object from the Ottoman period was on display. In 2010, the Berlin Islamic Museum presented an exhibition entitled “Vorsicht Glas! Zerbrechliche Kunst 700-2010” (Glass – handle with care. Fragile Art 700-2010). [Miriam Kühn (Ed.), Vorsicht Glas! Zerbrechliche Kunst 700-2010 (Berlin, 2010).]