Catholic Missions Map

19c map of catholic missions in ottoman empire
Whenever I look at this late nineteenth century (1893) map of Catholic missions (carte ecclesiastique) in Ottoman Empire, I can not help but remember Mary Doria Russell's science fiction book "The Sparrow" with a naughty smile on my face, grinning a grin as they say.

In her award winning book (Best Book by British SF Writers, James Tiptree Jr., Arthur C. Clarke and John W. Campbell awards), Russell tells us about a discovery of an earth-like planet and the race to launch an expedition between various organizations and countries. To our surprise, the first to successfully organize a mission is neither United Nations nor a space faring country but the Catholic Church, the Jesuits to be exact.

As long as they do not pose an imminent threat to the dynasty, the Empire was generally tolerant to religious institutions and many missions flourished throughout the country. I really wish I had a higher resolution image of it.

Dimensions: 100x80 cm.
Estimated value: $1,000

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tarot Cards with Ottoman Figures

Image
I have never been a believer of astrology, fortune telling or tarot, our subject. My aunt is a good fortune teller, or so people say, and always sees money and more money in my cup of Turkish coffee such that after she finishes the telling, people start looking at me, with expectations I guess. That feeling, people being extra nice, incredibly gentle and helpful, lasts for a few days and I enjoy it. So, whenever I have expectations from those around, I often ask my aunt to tell me what lies ahead. Since most of you will not be around (physically), I can tell you the truth: I am still poor. Yet, there is no reason not to try your luck with these cards, maybe Ottomans will help you. Be creative :-) Estimated value: $ 120
Read more

Pyramids by Yervant Chimchidian

Image
I have uploaded Yervant Chimchidian's (1903-1975) Pyramids not because of its historical or commercial value, but because I thought it would look cool against the dark background of the site. I really heard these words and I'm sure you must have had, too. I do not know why, but Yervant's oil on canvas moves me. Not that it is melancholic; on the contrary, whenever I feel like that, it swiftly takes me out of it. Oh, it does look cool against a dark background, by the way. :-) Dimensions: 24.5x35.5 cm. Estimated value: $ 750
Read more

Pictures and Painting in Islam

Image
It is only time that we touch a few thorny subjects, and possibly the thorniest of them all is the status of pictures or painting in Islam and Islamic art. The so called ban on pictures opens the door to a myriad of conflicting views and the end result is more than one billion confused people. Some Islamic scholars claim it is banned in any and every form, some claim the ban is on animate objects, some say it is only limited to picturing the prophet, i.e. Mohammad, and some of course believe there is no such restriction at all. The issue has not come to the attention of the West until Taliban's destruction of an ancient Buddha temple (because it has a picture of Buddha) in Afghanistan in March 2001. After the temple were blown to pieces, the idea that Islam is hostile to painting has emerged in the West, and exacerbated with the Mohammad caricatures or cartoons of last year. Before we proceed, let us also define what we mean by Islamic art. Sheila S. Brown and Jonathan M. Bloom giv
Read more