ABSTRACT
This essay investigates how trousseaus constituted curated collections in Ottoman weddings, considering their display as compelling events of ceremonial art appraisal and appreciation. Since the weddings of Ottoman princesses have received the majority of scholarly attention, this essay aims to shed light upon the alternative experiences of upwardly mobile Greek families of the Ottoman Empire who gained substantial power during the eighteenth century. Collaço argues that the painted surfaces of these chests purposefully alluded to built spaces of the newlyweds’ home as a mobile representation of the idealized household. Painted wedding chests further reframed trans-regional goods within a localized version of the Ottoman baroque aesthetic. While the imperial family ceased to perform trousseau processions roughly around the 1730s, Greek merchant families continued the tradition. In doing so, they engaged in wider visual codes of Ottoman prestige, while re-molding them to suit the rising status of local notables.
