Illustrations of Janissaries from the 15th to 19th centuries

[Druzhina]

I have compiled a list of illustrations of Janissaries from the 15th to 19th centuries plus a few articles. This may be useful when researching Janissary costume for different periods.


MIRROR SITE
Illustrations of Janissaries from the 15th to 19th centuries

Druzhina
Illustrations of Ottoman Costume & Soldiers

[Techno]

Good job, D. 
Cheers - Phil

[Capt Sensible]

Oooooh, lovely! Thank you sir.

CS

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Good finds D!

[OldenBUA]

Various illustrations (including janissaries) can also be found in the Surname-i-vehbi, which is a picture album depicting a fifteen-day festival held on the occasion of the circumcision of four of the sultan's sons in 1720.



http://www.kanyak.com/surname-i-vehbi/images.html

http://www.kanyak.com/surname-i-vehbi/157b-158a.html

[Druzhina]

The publication date is always some time after the date the initial work was started, sometimes a long time after. Things to look out for are copies of illustrations based on earlier illustrations.
The most copied 16th century works are by Nicolas de Nicolay, 1577, Melchior Lorck, 1579-83 & Hans Weigel, 1577. In illustrations of Ottomans by Europeans, you can see the same Jannisaries, in different colours, by Albert Kretschmer, 1882, Raphaël Jacquemin, 1863-1869 and in Unifomenkunde, by Knötel. As their ultimate source is not coloured, their colours are made up.
The most copied 18th century works are by Jean-Baptiste Vanmour, 1708 & Caspar Luyken, 1703. As Vanmour's paintings of Ottomans are available the colours of these can be relied on.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

[Druzhina]

There is only a little evidence for uniform colours from texts. Ian Heath has:
Our only clue to the colour of the new uniform that he introduced is to be found in the 'Ordo Portae' of c.1473-81, which tells us that every year each Janissary received lengths of linen and blue cloth, plus a shirt and a woollen kaftan. (Konstantin Mihailovic similarly states that each Janissary received a kaftan, a shirt, and 'large trousers made, as is their fashion, of 3 ells of cloth, and a shirt of 8 ells', but alas, he does not mention colours.)

From the 2nd quarter of the 17th century.
Narrative of Travels in Europe, Asia and Africa By Evliya Efendi:

The Jebbehjí-báshí said to Dávud Páshá: ' My lord, may your name be everlasting in the world, and may the family of the Dávuds always be in power.' For this wish he was rewarded with the place of ághá of the Janissaries, and actually entered into a plan to raise his own son, Soleïmán Beg, to the throne of the Ottomans ; and promised the Janissaries that, instead of the blue cloth of Salonik, they should wear fine scarlet cloth.

The blue cloth for the eighty thousand Janissaries of the Ottoman Empire, which comes from Salonica, is deposited in the magazine, which is opened once a year on the holy night (Kadr). On this night the first Lieutenant-General of the Janissaries (Kolkiagassí), attended by the ághás of the corps, the inspector of the magazine and its Colonel receive the officers of all the sixty-two regiments of Janissaries with their men, who each get, according to the constitution of Sultán Súleimán, ten yards of blue cloth, a piece for the turban, and a piece of cotton for the shirt. This distribution lasts three days and nights. This magazine (enbár) is a large square building within the enclosure of the mint. The Inspector of the cloth and the colonel with their suite pass before the Imperial koshk, each carrying a piece of cloth on their shoulder.

Druzhina
17th Century Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Useful information

[FierceKitty]

Not enough that they mutilate the kids' tonkers, they then go and celebrate it too!