RARE TURKISH ART IS GIVEN TO MUSEUM

Edwin Binney III, a celebrated collector of Turkish and Indian art, has given 128 rare pieces of Ottoman Turkish art to the County Museum of Art.

Paintings, manuscripts, bookbindings, textiles, ceramics and metal works are in the bequest. About half of the donated pieces will go on view at the museum, May 15 through Sept. 28.

Binney’s gift follows the progress of Ottoman art from the 15th through the early 20th centuries, as the Ottoman Empire extended across North Africa and into eastern Europe.

Among examples of artistry are portraits on paper and manuscripts illustrating court life and mythical themes. Calligraphy, a minor art form enthusiastically practiced by the Ottomans, is represented by elaborately embellished monograms and names of rulers.

A group of decorative arts includes a piece of 16th-Century equestrian armor and ceramics from the production center of Isnik. A 19th-Century ceremonial banner and fragments of silk brocades favored by rulers provide evidence of the Ottoman Empire’s ability to produce exquisite textiles.