Authored by Lachin Hatemi M.D.
A
fascination with eggs and their perfect form inspired Peter Carl Fabergé, who
was a renowned jeweler and goldsmith to the Russian Imperial Court. Fabergé
created a total of 50 Imperial Easter Eggs for Russian emperors from 1885 to
1917, which became an Easter tradition in the Russian Imperial Court. When Russian
Revolution of 1918 dethroned the Russian Czar, it also ended the storied
Faberge tradition.
World-renowned
artist Haydar Hatemi always wanted to create his own egg collection and bring
the Faberge tradition back to life. While working on an egg collection for the
Shah of Iran and Empress Farah Diba Pahlavi, Hatemi’s project prematurely
ended, just like Faberge’s, due to a revolution. The Islamic Revolution of 1979
sent Iran into turmoil, and the Shah of Iran was forced to leave his country. A
few years later, Hatemi left Iran himself with his family, but he never forgot
about his dream.
Hatemi’s
popularity continued to grow in his new adopted homeland of Turkey, where he
re-established his atelier in 1983. He
was fascinated with the Ottoman Empire with his exuberance and glamour. After
many years of creating Ottoman inspired art, Hatemi decided to fulfill his
longtime dream of creating an egg collection, which became the inspiration for
the “Ottoman Empire Collection.” Hatemi chose ostrich eggs as his medium.
When he first encountered a raw
ostrich egg, Haydar recognized it as an ideal medium for his art. An ostrich
eggs, with its porcelain-like qualities and texture, was a perfect choice. To
create these precious eggs, Hatemi invented a special process to prepare
the eggs for paintings. Each egg, an artistic tour de force, took two
months or more to make.
The series of lavish Easter eggs
created by Hatemi for his royal clientele between 2004 and
2012 is regarded as one of the artist’s most creative projects. These
eggs are also considered as some of the latest great commissions of
objects d’art in Middle East and Turkey. Haydar Hatemi created the Ottoman
Sultans’ collection to commemorate one of the longest lasting and powerful
dynasties of our near history. Thirty-six sultans who were all descendant of
the Othman, the founder of the Ottoman Dynasty, led the Ottoman Empire. The
Ottoman period, particularly during the 16th and 17th centuries, was marked by
geopolitical dominance and cultural prowess, during which the sultans claimed
the spiritual leadership of the Muslim world, before the empire’s slow decline
culminated in its collapse during World War I.
