Everyday Luxuries

From patterned silks and porcelains to printed cottons and earthenwares, art and commodities flowed through Ottoman Constantinople, eddying around artisans, shop-keepers, residents, and visitors, many of whom exclaimed at the abundance of goods on offer in the city’s markets. This book offers a comprehensive introduction to the art and material culture of the Ottoman Empire, taking as its premise the key role of every day activities as engines for art and craft production; it combines evidence gleaned from archival sources, Ottoman commentaries and histories, and travel writing with observations about objects in the collections of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.