National Palaces workshop restores ‘Genealogy’ painting

The ‘Genealogy’ series, crafted during the rule of Sultan Abdulhamid I (1774-1789), is presently undergoing a restoration process. This artwork is part of the National Palaces Collection

The National Palaces Painting Museum, housing collections spanning the 16th to the 20th centuries, has artworks purchased and commissioned by Ottoman sultans. The museum is actively engaged in restoration efforts at the National Palaces Painting Restoration and Conservation Workshop. It showcases these restored paintings to local and international art enthusiasts.

Experts are currently restoring the ‘Genealogy’ painting from the reign of Abdulhamid I in the workshop of the unique museum housing exclusive Ottoman palace paintings.

Within the museum’s painting restoration and conservation workshop, expert teams restore works from the extensive painting collection, bringing them back to their former glory and making them once again available for exhibition.

The other two paintings, part of the trio that initiated the tradition of genealogies in the Ottoman palace and featuring subtle differences, are currently located abroad.

In the works made during the reign of Abdulhamid I, the 27th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, the portraits of the sultans are showcased within medallion frames arranged on the branches of a tree that span the entire composition. These portraits are interconnected by ribbons, with Osman Gazi positioned at the top and Sultan Abdulhamid I at the bottom. Behind this symbolic tree, the backdrop features the Blue Mosque and the surrounding square. 

In an interview with Anadolu Agency, National Palaces Painting Restoration and Conservation Workshop Supervisor Hatice Biga stated that they have workshops for paintings in need of restoration in the inventory and said, “We carry out the procedures in this workshop. After the works are identified in the first stage, they are transferred to the workshop. Here, the restoration work that should be appropriate for each work is carried out and transferred to the exhibition area on the campus.”

Source: Newsroom & Anadolu Agency