Descrizione

Paperback. 4to. (29 x 24 cm). In English and Turkish. 208 p., color ills. Golden grace: Tombac.= Tombak: Altindan süzülen zarafet. [Exhibition catalogue]. "A magic world unfolded before us during our preparations for the exhibition Tombac: Golden Grace. With Yapi Kredi's tombac collection as our starting point we discovered that behind the graceful and magnificent culture created with gold was in fact thousands of years of know-how and experience. The power and prestige conferred on gold down the ages gave rise to the notion of covering items made from less valuable metals with gold and inspired the development of gold plating methods. Beginning in Central Asia, Turks played a vital role in the production of metal goods and created a valuable culture in this field, crowned during the Ottoman period with the tombac gilding technique. However, the discovery of the electrolysis technique in the 19th century, led in due course to the discontinuation of the tombac gilding method. This book was produced to introduce the still insufficiently researched art of tombac that is about to sink into oblivion. While exploring the subject of gold plating from the early period, the focus is on tombac items which formed the pinnacle of Ottoman metal craft. Nihat Tekdemir examined the gold plating methods used in different periods of the cultural history. He covered the Ottoman tombac gilding technique comprehensively, described the differences between this and other gilding techniques and named the areas in which tombac was used. Prof. Dr. Sümer Atasoy explained that copper always was the most favoured metal in Anatolia, and while relating the story of coppersmithing, he also touched upon production techniques and the decoration of copper before the tombac gilding. Ömür Tufan, expert at Topkapi Palace Museum's Copper and Chandelier Department, described the Ottoman sultan's tombac effects at Topkapi Palace, the characteristic features of the tombacs in the collection and where they were used.". (From preface).