Procession of Coffee Sellers During the Imperial Circumcision Festival
Date: 1588
Artist: Nakkaş Osman
Medium: Ink and watercolor on paper
Topkapı Palace Museum Library, Hazine 1344
“Procession of coffee sellers with a model of coffee cart during the Imperial circumcision festival” depicts the emergence of coffee as a significant item of consumption during the rule of Ottoman Sultan Murad III, and places the broader subject of coffee in the context of the Circumcision Ceremony of 1582. The rise of coffee as a social beverage is symbolized by illustrating coffee sellers processing through the Hippodrome during one of the most culturally significant Ottoman ceremonies. The piece is a part of Surname-i Hümayun, commissioned by Sultan Murad III, Prince Mehmed’s father, depicting the integration of all social classes in public ceremonies. The Circumcision Ceremony of 1582 glorified the Ottoman Empire and its rulers, establishing Ottoman identity within the context of other empires.