More performances by Hajji Şahin and his troupe

 

55a

 

54b

This scene contains acts that were put on after the sultan arrived on the fourth day. In (54b), the sultan, a prince, the grand vizier, and other attendants are depicted in what has by now become a stock scene. The performances of the Egyptians are still in progress. In the foreground, one of them is lying on his back on the ground bound to the underside of a donkey and passing through a hoop held by two assistants. This fascinating display is mirrored in (55a). According to the text, at a signal from the sultan, the Egyptian performer suddenly seized a mute by the name of Hasan Agha, bound him to himself, and leaped through the hoop again. The other performances are more or less self-explanatory. Levni has used the left side of the frame to depict commoners watching the goings-on: sackers and janissaries restrain a throng of women from invading the field while their menfolk watch intently as if peeking over the hill. He has also included an attempt by someone to climb the pole with a vessel full of coins at the top. (Vehbi makes no mention of such an attempt, which would in any case have been pointless because the vessel of coins was not even put on the mast until the sixth day (83b-84a).)


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