Sakip Sabanci Museum, Istanbul
History of the Museum
The building today known as the Horse Mansion on a hill between Emirgan Park and the Bosphorus stands in what was once the grounds of a waterfront mansion. Between 1848 and 1884 the original mansion belonged in turn to Süleyman Re’fet Paşa and his wife Fatımatüzehra Hanım, Musevi Hoca Misak, Mustafa Reşid Paşa’s wife Adile Hanım, Küçük Mehmed Ali Paşa of Egypt, Mustafa Naili Paşa, Maksudzade Simon Bey, Khedive İsmail Paşa, the Egyptian government, and Khedive Mehmed Tevfik Paşa. In 1884 it was purchased by the Ottoman Treasury on the orders of Sultan Abdülhamid II and presented as a gift to King Nicola I of Montenegro. For the next 30 years it was both a royal residence and the Montenegran Embassy. In 1913 the Ottoman government repossessed the mansion and sold it to Behiye Sultan, the granddaughter of Sultan Mehmed V Reşad. In 1925 the now derelict mansion was purchased by Prince Mehmed Ali Hasan, grandson of Khedive İsmail Paşa, and he commissioned the architect Edouard de Nari to build the present house. However, it remained unused for many years until Princess İffet, the elder sister of Prince Mehmed Ali Hasan, made it her home in 1944. In 1949 Hacı Ömer Sabancı began looking for a house in which he and his family could spend the summer months, and in 1951 purchased the mansion from the sons of Prince Mehmed Ali Hasan. After he purchased the bronze statue of a horse at an auction held in Mahmud Muhtar Paşa’s house in Moda, and placed it inside the entrance gate of his mansion in Emirgan, the house became popularly known as Atlı Köşk or Horse Mansion.
Hacı Ömer Sabancı died in 1966 and the mansion was purchased by Hacı Ömer Holding Company in 1975. Meanwhile the mansion was home to Sakıp Sabancı and his family between 1969 and 1999. In 1998 the mansion, together with its antique furnishings and art collections, was leased to Sabancı University for a period of 49 years, and opened as the Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum in June 2002.
The historical Horse Mansion and the new gallery annex equipped with the latest technology are now a museum of international standards with an area of 3500 m2 appropriate for holding exhibitions of every kind.
Sabancı Museum’s collection of precious manuscripts and extensive collection of 19th and 20th century paintings are on permanent exhibition in the rooms of the original house and gallery annex. The museum also hosts national and foreign exhibitions.
Sakıp Sabancı Museum is part of Sabancı University, and therefore also functions as an educational institution. In this respect, educational programmes at various levels are held in the museum, and at weekends musical events take place here. Museum website gives online coverage of both permanent and temporary exhibitions and other museum events. The museum is designed to facilitate visits by the disabled.
About Museum
The three ground floor rooms of the Horse Mansion have been preserved as they were when the Sabancı family lived here, with the original furnishings and 18th-19th century works of art.
Hacı Ömer Sabancı began creating the collection of decorative works of art consisting of figurines, metalwork, porcelain, objets d’art and furniture in the Sabancı Collection in 1940, and this has continually expanded since 1970 thanks to Sakıp Sabancı’s dedication and love of art. The collection includes 18th and 19th century Chinese Famille Noire and Famille Verte porcelain, polychrome vases and decorated plates. An impressive collection of 19th century French porcelain, including large numbers of Sèvres vases, and German porcelain produced in Berlin and Vienna are among the most valuable items in the collection.
Collection
Ottoman calligraphic art belonging to the Sabancı Collection is exhibited on the first floor of the Horse Mansion. The collection of calligraphy consisting of nearly 400 pieces offers a comprehensive view of Ottoman calligraphic art over a period of 500 years, with manuscript Korans and prayer books, calligraphic panels, imperial documents, poetry books and calligraphic tools.
Visiting Hours
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 10 am - 6 pm
Wednesday: 10 am - 9 pm
Closed on Mondays.Contact
Sabancı Üniversitesi- Sakıp Sabancı Müzesi
Istinye Cad. No:22
Emirgan 34467- Istanbul
Tel : 0 212 277 22 00
Fax : 0 212 229 49 14
Web : http://muze.sabanciuniv.edu
E-mail address : muze@sabanciuniv.eduSource: Sakip Sabanci Museum
