Coffeehouse Miniature
Title: Coffeehouse scene
Artist: Unknown
Date: ca. 1620 CE
Medium: Paint and gold on marbled paper
Credit Line: Chester Beatty Library, Object Number T 439.9
This coffeehouse scene originates from the rising popularity of Ottoman miniatures—an aspect of Ottoman book art that is found in manuscripts. This image is found in an Ottoman album, which is a way of binding images with their text to syncretize select miniatures with their corresponding calligraphy. Although the artist is unknown, this image was created in Istanbul, most likely created for a wealthy private citizen. A typical coffeehouse scene is displayed in this miniature. It captures the average social atmosphere of a coffeehouse, emphasizing how popular they were by capturing the crowded environment, and reveals the usual clientele—men. Therefore, a vibrant community emerges from what is depicted in this miniature. Men from different social statuses were able to frequent the same space, which was highly unlikely in any other establishment, enabling different social spheres to intersect with each other.