Circus at the edge of Europe

Acrobatic entertainments in the Ottoman Empire

Bibliographic Data

ID12895986
AuthorsKim Baston (La Trobe University, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume16
Issue1
Pages57-82
Publication date2018-01-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEarly Popular Visual Culture (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1746-0654 • E-ISSN: 1746-0662
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17460654.2018.1490194
OpenAlexW2886251332
LanguageEN
References cited15

This article considers the nature of acrobatic performances in Ottoman Turkey, as represented in illustrated records of circumcision ceremonies. The circumcision of the sons of the Sultans Murad III in 1582 and Ahmed III in 1720 were the occasions for weeks of festivities, including parades and presentations by guild craftsmen, interspersed with other entertainments, such as music, dancing and various acrobatic entertainments. These two circumcision ceremonies were documented in lavishly illustrated histories, part of a growing tradition of Ottoman historiography, consisting of exquisite miniature paintings accompanied by text.Although a century and a half separate these two celebrations, the snapshot they present of entertainments indicate both the continuity of types of acrobatic performances and their development. The illustrated records of these celebrations also reveal acrobatic traditions that combine performances familiar in early modern Europe and which continued into the development of the early modern circus, alongside performances that are now usually associated with the Chinese acrobatic tradition

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Historiography · Ottoman empire · Political science · Visual arts · Diversity and Impact of Dance · History · Law · Martial Arts: Techniques, Psychology, and Education · Sports, Gender, and Society

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