Journal of the David Collection vol. 6,1+6,2

Vol. 6,1: Essays and Transliteration

Vol. 6,2: Translation

The present issue of Journal of the David Collection is a multifaceted study and publication devoted to an Ottoman manuscript distinguished by its numerous paintings of exceptionally high artistic quality depicting explicit sexual subjects. Until its acquisition by The David Collection, the manuscript had been known only to a limited number of people. Among them were the three scholars İrvin Cemil Schick, Selim Sirri Kuru, and Tülay Artan. They pointed out that the text itself is both rich in content and highly rewarding to read while also constituting an exceptional source for many different aspects of the Ottoman world in particular.

The present publication on the Ottoman manuscript allows readers to see this for themselves. Not only has the Ottoman text been translated into English with great linguistic sensitivity and accompanied by extensive notes; it has also been transcribed into modern Turkish, while both the text and its illustrations are examined in depth in a series of essays. Whether considered in terms of its text, its images, or the interplay between the two, this Ottoman manuscript is extraordinary, enigmatic, and deeply fascinating.