Portrait of a Woman

This portrait must have been drawn
either by Veli Can, who from the late
1580s was employed in the Ottoman
court atelier in Istanbul, or another
artist of his circle. Using black ink
with a brush in a technique known as
kalem-i siyahi, the portrait depicts a
woman standing in a natural setting,
holding a rose in her hand. She is
dressed in a garment with broad
sleeves lined with fur at the wrist,
under a short-sleeved jacket, tied at
the waist by a tasselled belt with gilded
buckles. She wears a small conical cap
with a plume. Above the portrait is
an illuminated panel in late sixteenthcentury
Ottoman style.Reference: Tanındı, Z., Harmony of Line and Colour, Illuminated Manuscripts Documents and Calligraphy in the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection, Sadberk Hanım Museum Publication, İstanbul 2019, pp. 302,303.