Courts & Kalfas: Patronage Relationships in Selim III’s Reign

Abstract

The patronage networks of the members of Sultan Selim III’s extended court, specifically his mother, sisters, cousins, and their respective mothers, expand what is already written about the “Greek” artists, architects, and craftsmen who serviced the imperial family. This paper delves into the role of Greek kalfas, akin to modern architects, who served Selim III and his female relatives. It specifically examines figures such as Komyanoz, Foti, Todori, and Yani Kalfas, exploring their professional lives, which typically began in the imperial arsenal as shipbuilders. These individuals worked under—or alongside—French shipbuilders/architects, who were invited to the Capital by the court in the eighteenth century. Another important but overlooked aspect of their lives is the deep professional (and possibly familial) connections these men had with Aegean islands. The cultural interactions with Italian and French influences might shed light on the decorative tastes they adopted, practiced, and disseminated, particularly in palatial interiors. Additionally, this investigation might help us uncover the business networks of these kalfas, for example, their relations with 'woodcarvers from Chios.' Mapping the multiple and often simultaneous imperial building projects which these kalfas oversaw and examining the privileges they received from their patrons upon the successful and timely completion of these projects demonstrates the significance of these actors for the imperial family. Furthermore, these privileges—whether granted or sought—highlight not only the intense competition among these kalfas but also their deep awareness of each other's professional lives, underscoring the stakes of their interactions. The paper also offers close readings of the lengthy correspondence between Esma Sultan, Abdülhamid I’s daughter, her kethüda (personal accountant/asset manager) Ömer Ağa and her remarkably involved mother Sineperver, on the prolonged building process of her new waterfront mansion in Eyüb. These texts not only reveal insights about Komyanoz Kalfa, a Greek-Ottoman architect from Phanar tasked with the mansion's design and construction, but also about the operational methods of these builders and the decorum of engagement with different members of Esma’s own court. Additionally, the correspondence highlights Sineperver's pivotal role in supporting her daughter by overseeing the project and reveals the architect-client relationship. The paper ends with a rumination on the anonymous Greek artist who accompanied the English architect Charles Robert Cockerell (d. 1863) and allowed the foreigner to sketch domestic architectural features of spaces (instead of the usual grand imperial sites) that were contemporaneous with Esma’s now non-extant Eyüb mansion.