Procession of Coffee Sellers
Procession of coffee sellers with a model of the coffeehouse, Miniature in the Sūrnāme-i Hümāyān of 1582
Title: Procession of Coffee Sellers with a Model of the Coffeehouse
Date: 1582
Medium: Ink and pigments on paper
Patron: Sultan Murad III
Credit Line: The Topkapi Palace Museum H. 1344, fol. 367a
The miniature features a mode coffeehouse on wheels from which patrons are served. It is included in the Sūrnāme-i Hümāyān (Imperial Festival Book) of the Imperial Circumcision Ceremony of 1582. The illustrations of the festival all depict a procession of performances at the hippodrome overseen by Sultan Murad III. The presence of a coffee sellers guild within such an important festival demonstrates the rise of coffee within Ottoman lands and both the coffeehouse and the festival itself were dynamic social space, exemplifying the connection to the group and class themes.