The Art Of Glass Processing
Posted on Cum Eki, 20 by Administrator
THE ART OF GLASS PROCESSING
The main material of glass, which can be transparent or translucent, is silicon. Glass is originally an inorganic liquid, but it is processed to make it hard and brittle. It is known that glass was made of sand in ancient times. The reason why sand was used as the main material in the past is that silicon is mostly found in sand in nature.
Glass can be classified into two groups as man-made and natural glass. Natural glass is formed by the cooling of the lava erupting from the volcanoes at the foot of the volcano. Natural glass is considered a semi-precious stone. Handmade glass is the glass we see in our daily lives and we all know.
Glass is a raw material used in the production of many objects from ancient times to the present. Glass processing, on the other hand, is a handicraft besides its industrial side. The art of glass processing has become one of the arts that were once endangered. The reason for this is the small number of workshops and not enough masters. However, the increasing interest in the art of glass processing day by day causes this art to come alive again.
What is the Art of Glass Processing?
Early Glass Processing
It is widely believed that glass was found by chance. The Greek historian Piny's explanation of the discovery of glass is best known. According to Ping, several merchants camped on the river bank and lit a fire in the riverbed. The next day, they found pieces of glass that were transparent and shiny in the ashes of the fire. Glass was discovered in this way. Glass art developed in early times, mostly in Egypt and Mesopotamia. It is thought that wood burning glass stoves exist in these areas.
History of Glass Processing Art
Man-made glass was produced by Egyptians and Phoenicians for the first time in 2500 BC. The first use of glass was beads used for decoration. Glass beads were produced to replace precious stones.
In the same period, the first glass recipe was engraved on a clay tablet in Babylon, neighboring Egypt. This shows that glass art started to develop in Babylon, too. The art of glass processing, which attracted great attention especially in Iran, then spread to a wide geography. Other regions famous for the art of glasswork are Italy's Murano Island, Bohemia and France. Colorless glass was invaluable in the west, as few masters knew the technique of producing colorless glass at that time.
Glass's entry into Islamic arts started with its use in plaster windows called "revzen". Later, it was used in daily items such as oil lamps, pitchers and plates. During the Ottoman period, after Istanbul was conquered, it became the center of glass art. The first glass workshop was opened in Beykoz by Mevlevi Dervish Mehmet Efendi during the reign of Selim III. Mehmet Efendi learned the subtleties of glass art in Venice. Over time, with the increase in the number of workshops, Camcılar Ocağı was established. Later, in 1847, the first glass factory was established in İncirköy. Turkish masters learning the art of glass from western regions and European masters worked together to produce original works.
Beykoz glass objects, one of the rare examples of the art of glass processing, are both influenced by Islamic arts and western techniques. The feature of these glasses is that they reflect the red color when exposed to light.
What is the Art of Glass Processing?
The art of glass processing is divided into two parts: the shape of the glass and the painting and pattern processing on the glassware. The shape processing of glass is almost an extraordinary art. So how do masters perform this extraordinary art? What are the techniques used in the art of glass processing?
Molding Technique
It is the oldest technique used in glass processing art. The previously prepared glass poured into the mold is separated from the mold after it freezes. Another technique is "blowing technique". The molten and liquid glass is shaped by blowing with a hollow pipe called pipe. With this technique; Decorative materials such as glasses, jugs and vases are produced. The art of glasswork made by painting and painting on glassware is called "stained glass". In fact, in the original of the stained glass technique, it is essential to create patterns using broken glass. However, it is not preferred because it is a very difficult method.
In-Mold Glass Forming Technique
This technique, also known as “oven shaping”, has many aspects similar to sculpture and ceramics. It is made by hand shaping method. The plaster mold of the glass sculpture, whose model is prepared from clay, is taken. Then the glass pieces are placed in the mold and baked at high temperature. It melts in the glass mold and takes the shape of the model. Although it is known that the firing time varies according to the thickness of the glass, it can be said that an average of two weeks. Cleaning the glass sculpture by breaking the mold and then polishing it takes place after the glass cools down. By performing these processes, the glass is given its final shape.
Glass Fusion Technique
It is the art of painting on glass. Specially produced, colored and transparent flat glasses are shaped as plates and in the desired form when cold, by hand cutting. It is fired at 800 degrees in special furnaces for the glass to fuse with each other. These works are called "glass fusion". Since it is a manual technique, the objects are similar, but not exactly the same.
Cameo Glass Technique
Glass is placed on top of each other in layers of various colors. The glass is then melted and patterns are revealed by carving and etching the top layer of glass. Cameo glass technique is a luxury glass art technique first seen in Rome.
Glass Blowing Technique
The history of the art of glass blowing is very old. With this technique, magnificent works are created by giving different shapes, motifs and patterns to glass. Recently, original vases, lighting lamps and souvenirs are produced with this technique.
Glass blowing is an art that requires attention and patience. There are some techniques that should be applied before blowing glass. In particular, hand agility should be good. Glass should never be away from flame. Even with a small distance, all efforts may be wasted due to sudden heat loss. In addition, the same degree of heat should be provided to every point of the glass by moving it constantly.
Glass is a hard and solid material. Glass, which has a brittle structure, tends to break when faced with a hard surface. However, it is defined as a liquid in the chemical literature. For example, a glass designed to contain liquid is still the form of the liquid itself.
Turkish Art of Glass Processing
Ottoman and Seljuk periods can be described as the periods when traditional glass products were made. It is possible to see architectural or decoration works from the Seljuk and Artukids periods in museums.
Considering the works from the Ottoman period, it is understood that glass art has advanced considerably. Ottoman glass industry developed in Istanbul. It is known that there are different glass workshops in Eyüp, Balat, Ayvansaray, Bakırköy, Beykoz, Paşabahçe, Çubuklu and İncirköy. With the foundation of the Republic, the Turkish glass industry has gained a brand new direction. Paşabahçe, in particular, gathered many glass masters and became an important glass-making center for Turkish history. Traditional Turkish glass products are also known as Çeşm-i Bülbül or Turkish watermark.
Çeşm-i Bülbül
Çeşm-i Bülbül, a product produced by Anatolian workshops, is a highly qualified technique. Every stage in the use of this technique must be meticulously carried out and carried out in a very short time. This technique is error free. It is almost impossible to fix the error that has occurred. The stages of the Çeşm-i Bülbül technique are as follows.
The pipe is immersed in the molten glass in the oven and rotated to collect the glass. Then it is separated from the glass crucible and shaped outside the furnace and cooled.
• The slightly cooler glass is blown into a mold prepared with neatly arranged colored rods. The sticks stick to the glass.
• The formed form is taken back to the crucible, ensuring that the glass rods adhere well.
• The final shape of the glass is given by turning it manually in the mold. This is a stage that requires great skill.
• The shaped product is cooled and separated from the metal.
Glass Bead Making
Making glass beads, a folk art, is done in small furnaces. Glass is softened in wood fire and beads are taken into various forms with simple hand tools. The methods and products used in the production of glass beads have not differed much since ancient times.
Masters of Glass Processing in Turkey
Ahmet KARAAHMETOĞLU, Aydın YILDIZ, Ayşegül KAYA, Davut TAPAN, Ertuğrul KANAT, Fatma Meral AKBAŞ, Funda İŞÇİ, Handan ALDOĞAN, Hilal ÜĞÜTGEN TAŞÇI, Hülya ÇEPNİ, İkrami AKGÖL, İlhami HANCIOĞLU, Meryem PORTALIZ, Metin CAPEVARIZ, Meryem Deger, , Meyçem EZENGİN, Nazım ÖRKİ, Orhan EFE, Özcan YAYLA, Pelin İNAL, Rasim UZUNEL, Rengin ALKIN, Sabriye PAMUK GÜLPEK, Serbay DORU, Sonay KURUÇAY BAŞ, Tuba TÜNAY, Zehra Mine YAZICIGİL ÇETİN, Süreyya MUTLU AYTEKİN, Süreyya MUTLU AYTEKİN , Sare ATEŞ, Gürcan KİNİK, Emre GÜLTEN, Dilara EGELİ, Aydan BİRDEVRİM, Sertaç BAYRAKTAR, Hidayet Merve ARASLI, Zeynep Gül GÜNAYDIN.
Glass carries its magic as a material in the unique form of its existence. It dances gracefully in the states of matter. And it turns into a work of art in the hands of glass masters who manage to unravel its secret. Glass is the perfect material for artistic expression. However, in order to be able to make artistic works with glass and gain experience in this field, one must have a certain aesthetic sensitivity, work devotedly and devote himself to this subject. A productive workshop environment where the necessary skills can be developed for glass object production is just as important as these elements.
Ottoman Art of Glass Processing
Innovations in the European Glass Industry:
Sultan III. Selim's contributions to Ottoman Glass Art Sultan III. Mustafa and his son Sultan III. The story of the attempt to establish a glass industry in the Ottoman Empire, which started in the times of Selim, is as follows.
Glass products, which were produced as articles of use for centuries, existed as a branch of art supported by rulers and administrators in all over the world until the 19th century. On the one hand, technical developments in glass production and processing, on the other hand, changes in taste have determined the historical development of glasswork as a creative art branch.
Traditional Ottoman Glasswork and Organization:
Glass work has become an industry in itself in the hands of the Ottomans. The oldest documents on Turkish glasswork date back to the 16th century. The accounting books kept during the construction of the Süleymaniye Mosque and its complex provide us with important information about the construction orders and decrees, glass masters and their work. In the miniature manuscript "Surname-i Hümayun", which tells about the circumcision festivities of the princes in the collections of Topkapı Palace Museum today, the realistic paintings of glass masters and the tools they use are among the scenes showing the parades of various professional groups, in terms of showing the level of Turkish glass art in that century. It is an important document.
The Ottoman Empire had a special staff of artisans, known as "Ehl-i hıref" at the highest level, working under Topkapı Palace. Glass masters named as "Camgeran" were also working among this special staff. At the beginning of these was "Sercamger". Senior officials such as Nazırlık and Kethüdalık, who supervised the production in glass workshops, were given to people who were educated from Enderun-u Hümayun and their salaries were paid by the state quarterly. In the Ottoman Empire, all professions were organized according to the Guild and Gedik system. Within the Gedik order, there were “Nazır”, “Kethüda”, “Yiğitbaşı”, “Duacı” and “Sahib-i Karhane” (owner of the workplace) of the glassmakers. In this system, the master-journeyman-apprentice order was preserved with great precision.
Those in charge of glass workshops were called "Yiğitbaşı". Although the Nazır and Kethüdas, who were in the management of the glassworks organization, were appointed from among the people who were educated in the palace Enderun, the craftsmen chose Yiğitbaşı and Duacı from among themselves. In the Ottoman system, in the Guild and Gedik system, serious inspections were carried out in all kinds of industry and art fields. In every profession, the work done by the masters and spokespeople was checked and attention was paid to the pre-determined quality. As a rule, glass products and their sale had accepted mandatory conditions that had to be strictly followed.
On the one hand, economic and social issues were organized for the development and advancement of this art. The forms, names, features, weights and purchase and sale prices of glass products produced in such an order were previously determined by the inspection mechanism. Objects made of glass, bottle and glass that were not made according to the determined size and dirham, which were molded or called low work, were smashed by the minister, and the masters who produced these were punished. With all these strict rules, glass workers were actually protected by the state. It was ensured that only the glass shards used for melting the pine wood for the furnaces and the glass oven called yeast were sold to the real producer without intermediaries. In fact, the export of this valuable material was prevented, and care was taken not to suffer the glass manufacturers in the country. The glass production center of the Ottoman Empire was naturally Istanbul, as the glassworking institutions and their employees were under the auspices of the palace and therefore the Sultan.
The Districts Where Glass Workshops and Workshops are Located in Istanbul
When the construction books are examined, it is determined that there are 1436 registered people working in the glass works in the Süleymaniye Mosque built between 1550-1557. In 1682, 105 people in three bottle workshops in Istanbul, 300 people in 200 shops trading bottles, 105 people in 90 shops trading mirrors, 400 people in 71 shops doing flat glass were working in this sector.
As can be understood from this information, in 1682, a group of about a thousand people were working on the glasswork profession in Istanbul alone. For glass production in Istanbul, as a general principle, the regions where the industry settled were chosen. The most important reason for this was the frequent great fires in Istanbul. For this reason, industrial establishments that required fire were allowed in certain regions. In order to cause fires in the city, glass was produced more close to the city walls and in places where there is no fire hazard. With the establishment of "Baruthane-i Amire" in the Bakırköy region, which is seen as the outer district of Istanbul, this place has become an industrial zone. In 1750, III. During the period of Mustafa, production areas that require fire use such as the glass industry in Istanbul were moved to the vicinity of the old Tekfur Palace ruins near Edirnekapı, and an industrial area was created in this region. The reason why this place is preferred is that the area is outside the city walls and away from the city. The fact that Edirnekapı district was close to the city gate of the city opening to the outside of Istanbul provided easy procurement of necessary materials for glasswork. In addition, raw materials, wood and coal could easily be brought to the industrial zone in Tekfur Palace from outside the city.
Environmental pollution was caused by the work created by the resinous pine wood, which should be used in glass and ceramic furnaces. These industries produced large amounts of ash, waste, broken pieces and slag. The wastes of the workshops in the newly established industrial zone in Tekfur Palace were easily taken out of the city. The fact that the street names still used in the region are names related to glass such as "Şişhane street" proves that this was once an Ottoman glass industrial zone. All glass and bottle factories were gathered on the land of Tekfur Palace and these places were rented to those who were engaged in this art. Rent income is from Sultan III. It is transferred to a foundation established by Selim's father. It is stated as follows in archive documents. “… Workshops working with fire furnaces, jewelery pots, smut and sulegrans, china and fağfur factories, brickmakers and potters were also here. Making glass and bottles elsewhere was also prohibited. Rental fees from glass and bottle brothels here III. It is devoted to the charity of Mustafa ... "
Usage Areas of Glass Made in Traditional Ottoman Glass Workshops
The glasses made in the 1600s in the Ottoman Empire are food storage containers, kitchenware, bottles and jars used in daily life. In addition, they are the glass lamps used in the circumcision festivals, to illuminate mosques during Eid and Ramadan. In Edirne in 1675, IV. During the period of Mehmed, the big festival, which was organized due to the circumcision of two princes and the marriage of his sister, Hatice Sultan, was planned as a great show. The French ambassador Nointel, who attended these festivities, which lasted 15 days for circumcision and then 18 days for the wedding, mentioned the following in his letter in 1675: “… These were instrumental in huge demonstrations that would excite the whole empire. With 6000 young boys invited from the states, 2000 inner boys of the majesty are circumcised together with the prince… ”We have borrowed from the shopkeepers,“… 1,500 jars, 1,600 glass plates were provided for this great festival. ”We understand that 1600 glass plates were used in this feast. The production of glass plate with the technique used in the 1600s is a very difficult task. This is an important document as it shows us that Ottoman glasswork was quite advanced in the 17th century.
The interior of our mosques and masjids, which constitute the essence of Ottoman architecture, were illuminated at night with oil lamps and candles. In addition to a different arrangement in each building, this lighting was differentiated, especially with the fine pleasure of hanging lamps and lamps on chandeliers. Large chandeliers, all made of glass and formed by lamps in which candles are lit, create a very elegant image in the interior of mosques. The Mahyas, on the other hand, gave a message by scattering light on certain nights, but they would rather cheer the sky as diamond necklaces of our minarets and mosques during Ramadan nights. Preparing a ridge requires attention as well as design knowledge. The writing or shape was first planned on a squared paper, the knots to be made according to the line that hit each square were calculated, then glass lamps to be burned were lined up on separate ropes, so that the letters and lines were shifted between the minarets, respectively. It is known that the first ridge was founded in 1617 in Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the second in Süleymaniye Mosque and Yeni Mosque in 1683, and the third in Atik Valide Mosque in 1755. In 1723, Sultan III. Ahmet wanted the ridge burned only during Ramadan to be burned during the holidays and after this date, the ridge began to burn during the holidays. When the Grand Vizier Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Pasha allowed the establishment of a ridge in only two minarets of Salahattin mosques, ridge began to be established in large mosques such as Hagia Sophia, Fatih, Bayezid, Sultan Selim and Şehzade.
However, the minarets of the Eyüp Sultan Mosque, which were built during the reign of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, were demolished and replaced by higher minarets with two balconies because the ridge was too short to be built. Thus, the ridge became able to be established. For the same reasons, since the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque in Üsküdar has a single minaret, another minaret was built at the request of the people and the ridge was made available. Glass lamps used in the kitchens of Topkapı Palace in 1689 were recorded under the name of "Glass Evani" in the "Expense Book" records of the 17th century.
When the expense book is examined, it is possible to find out what kind of glass tools were used in the Ottoman Palace "Matbah-i Amire", together with their prices. Big bottle is 89 pieces, crystal bottle is 34 pieces, normal bottle is 30 pieces, Gülhane bottle is 25 pieces. In the expense records of 1670, it is seen that the same products are expensive in terms of price. All these sources are understood to be at a level that meets the needs of the glass production in Istanbul until the 18th century in terms of both its capacity, technical knowledge and glass shaping skill. At the same time, a glass production workshop or factory in Europe had the same equipment in almost every subject. In this period, European glasswork did not have anything superior to Ottoman glasswork.
Revolution in the European Glass Industry
In the 17th century, a very important development took place in terms of the glass industry. Glass could be melted using coal in one-ton capacity furnaces in Europe. “The first flat glass” was produced by pouring a very fluid glass melt onto a flat metal surface and crushing it with cylinders. In fact, these glass plates, whose surface is not completely flat and, most of which are about 50x70 cm in size, are grinded on special benches when necessary, and the surface is smoothed and polished with very expensive processes. Extremely smooth glasses can be obtained as a result of a difficult and laborious work. Mirrors, a new glass product, started to be produced from glasses with high quality and smooth glossy floors. With the industrialization of the 18th century in Europe, important developments continued to be made in the field of glasswork. First of all, with the transition from wood to coal as an energy source in glass furnaces, high heat began to be obtained cheaper. Glass became cheaper as a material thanks to cheap energy. Many new techniques and tools have been developed to make the raw materials used in glassmaking more precise and cheaper. Instead of glass that was previously melted in small crucibles, new types of furnaces have now been developed for large-scale glass production. The very difficult and expensive artistic processes such as coloring, enamelling, etching, cutting, which have been used for centuries to process glass surfaces, have become cheaper with new techniques developed every day. All in all, these technical advances made all kinds of production easier. As a natural result of these, the innovations of glass art started to be used in many products at the same time.
In the 1700s, revolutionary new inventions were made one after another in European glassmaking as an industry. Omnibuses were made in Paris in the 1650s. Glass started to be used in the car industry, and in parallel with the car industry, there were developments in the glass industry. In the 1670s, the British discovered optical glass. "Lucas de Nehou" started glass plate production in France. In 1693, again in France, "Bernard Perrot" started the production of large-sized and good quality glass. New glass production centers were established in Europe. "Baccarat" in France, "Kungsholm" in Sweden, "Bohemia" in Austria became important glass producing centers. The workshop opened in Zwiezel, Bodenmais and its surroundings in Germany in 1699 started glass production on behalf of the principality. The most famous products of Bohemian glassmaking in the 1700s were "cut" crystals. Thanks to this famous glass cutting technique and more than 100 cutting and engraving masters working in the different regions that make up it, the art of glassmaking has reached the top. These master artists were able to process everything from the easiest to the most complex by cutting or engraving on glass. In this way, they could obtain "light, depth, contrast" on transparent and colored glasses.
For the first time in these years, the paintings of famous painters on glass began to be engraved and embossed. In 1710 this process was as successful as the diamond cutting process. In short, glass masters were now able to "turn glass into jewelery" in a sense. Among the glass products developed in Bohemia, one of the most important is the ability of painters to apply colored painting technique on glass.
This technique was especially important for the colored glass windows of churches. Bohemian glass was exported to Germany, Poland, Russia, Hungary, France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Sweden and the Ottoman Empire. In the 18th century, 38 "Bohemian houses" were opened in 12 major cities and ports of Europe. There were sales centers in Baltimore, Beirut, Cairo, Mexico City, New York and Izmir. In short, glassmakers from Bohemia had conquered the world with a new and different "glasswork".
In fact, with the "Industrial Revolution" experienced in Europe in the 18th century, everything in art, science, technology, sociological and economic structuring suddenly changed. There was also a rapidly developing change in the glass industry in Europe. In the face of the rapid industrialization of Europe, the glass industry of the Ottoman Empire declined further. Now, with the industrialization in Europe, cheaper and mass produced glass products started to be preferred in the country. The revolution in the glass industry in Europe had a positive and negative effect on the Ottoman Empire. With the rapid industrialization of Europe, differences in Ottoman culture, art, science and industry were emerging. Art was not something everyone could do in the Ottoman Empire. However, it was considered a feat learned from the great masters. Such a system might have been valid and appropriate in the early Ottoman period. However, such an order that restricts the entrepreneurial mindset would undoubtedly cause great problems in the face of the Industrial Revolution that started to develop in Europe later on. The increase in the size of the glasses made in Europe caused serious changes in important architectural structures such as palaces, mansions and mosques in the Ottoman Empire. Skylights in traditional Ottoman architecture also began to change structurally. Large size glasses made by Europe were now used in palaces and important buildings. Thus, a rapid collapse occurred in the traditional Ottoman glass industry, which produced the country's window glasses. The Ottoman glass industry, which was settled around Ayvansaray, Eğrikapı and Tekfur Palace, was closing a period in the name of glassmaking with the collapse seen. It was gradually disappearing in the face of glass factories that started to be established in Europe. For the same reasons, old glass factories and workshops in Europe, which were producing with traditional techniques, started to suffer and decline.
The Beginning of Using European Glasses in Ottoman Palaces
Glasses made in Europe, whose surfaces were not very smooth yet and considered to be very large compared to their period, were quite expensive in the Ottoman Empire. Because it was very expensive, it was used as the window glass of the most important spaces and rooms in important architectures. The production of large size glass in Europe made itself felt in the architecture of the lighting windows in Ottoman architecture. Although it was expensive glass, it increased the size of skylights and lower windows, due to the large size of these windows and their very robustness. The windows were colored and caused an increase in the number of windows in architecture. It is possible to see through these windows in some windows of Topkapı Palace. Sofa Mansion, which was repaired in 1752, has the newest examples of the glass technology of its period applied in the Ottoman palace. It is seen that the baroque technique is applied and the traditional order of the interior is preserved. Thanks to the possibilities provided by glass technology, large-sized windows were designed for that period.
Because in the 1750s, the European glass industry could only reach these dimensions in flat plate glass production. The fine plaster construction bearing the windows in the skylights, which are suitable for Baroque motifs, was accepted as a result of the possibilities of the most sensitive applications of glass cutting at that time. Because the thick gypsum carriers and frames that were used until then, in a sense, symbolized the backward technology. Aynalıkavak Pavilion, which is one of the Ottoman palaces in the Golden Horn of Istanbul and has survived until today, took its present form in the 1780s. In fact, this important palace complex has survived with many changes since the 1600's, but after a fire, III. During the Selim period, most of it was demolished and the current pavilion was built instead.
The importance of Aynalıkavak Pavilion in terms of industrialization initiatives; the glass used reflects the latest glass technology, thoughts and forms in the glass industry. The general design of the glasses in these windows, the thin plaster carrier connecting the glasses and the precision in cutting the glasses show both the innovations brought by the master glassmakers to the architecture and the development of the glass processing methods of the period. In this period, glass workshops were established in Beykoz for small glass objects besides architectural glass production. Although Beykoz workshops produced all kinds of glass, they could not yet produce flat glass. Therefore, the window glasses used here are glasses imported from Europe.
Sultan III. Selim's Initiatives for the Development of the Ottoman Glass Industry
As soon as Sultan III. Selim was enthroned, his first job was to get Europe to be better known Sultan III.Selim. After the war that ended with Austria in 1791, he appointed Ebubekir Ratip Efendi, a relative and believer, as the Vienna ambassador. Besides his political duty, his main purpose was to investigate all important institutions of Austria and to inform the sultan. On his return to Istanbul, Ratip Efendi prepared a detailed and commented report of 490 pages. In memory of those years, on behalf of Ebubekir Ratip Efendi, a coffee set with the name written in Ottoman letters on the saucer made in the porcelain factory in Vienna was presented. Today, the plate of this gift is included in the European Porcelains section of the Topkapı Palace Museum.
Sultan III. Selim clearly saw the development of the industrial revolution and initiated interesting breakthroughs in this direction. One of the projects that he gives priority in industrialization is "Beykoz Glasswork". At the beginning of the 19th century, in order to compete with the new industrial centers that developed with the support of the industrial revolution in Europe, in the Ottoman Empire as a state and personally, Sultan III. Important initiatives were being made by Selim. The Ottoman Empire, like other European kingdoms, claimed glassmaking, the newest industrial and artistic field of its time. It has launched initiatives and regulations to bring its long-standing rival Venice glass technology to the country and develop it as much as possible. Sultan III. Selim personally sent Mevlevi Mehmed Dede to Venice to learn the art of glassmaking. On the one hand, attempts were made to make the necessary investments by searching for flat and wide lands suitable for the glass industry. Beykoz surroundings in the Bosphorus were found suitable for the new technology to settle in this region. Its land structure and waters were at a distance that would prevent major fires, which was the most important problem of Istanbul in those years. Because at that time, industry meant "high heat and fire and consequently fire hazard". In addition to the old glass workshops, which were placed regularly around the walls of Istanbul and the old Tekfur Palace and gradually declined, a brand new glassworks in the plains of Beykoz, Sultan III. It started with Selim.
Beykoz glasses III. It constitutes an important link in the chain in Selim's industrialization revolution. The establishment of the first glass factory in the Beykoz region coincides with the years when Venetian glassmaking began to open up to overcome its own crisis. Mevlevi Mehmet Dede, on his return from Venice, established a glass workshop in Beykoz and started to produce glass here. Sultan III. The fact that Selim was a Mevlevi and his friend of the Galata Mevlevi House Şeyh Galip Dede caused the frequent use of symbols reminding Mevleviism in Beykoz Glass workmanship. In Beykoz glasses made by Mevlevi Mehmet Dede, bowls, mugs, and lidded plates and lids were started to be made in the form of Mevlevi coins. This school has influenced the art of glass in Istanbul until recently.
It is known that after the first glass factory opened in Beykoz in the III. Selim period, with the initiatives of Ahmet Fethi Pasha, one of the famous names of the "Tanzimat" period, the "Glass and Billur Factory" was established in the same region and started production. Established in Beykoz glass factories with the technical support of Venice, the most powerful glassmaking center of its time, Çeşm-i Bülbüller has become the symbol of Istanbul glass art over time. A wide variety of glass products started to be made. Basin-pitchers, bowls, tulips, rosebuds, bottles, jars, bowls with a lid, mugs, spouts, sherbet, dipping, oil lamps, cups-plates and perfume bottles were made as forms. Technically, opaline, crystal, Çeşm-i Bülbül could be made.
The Beykoz glass collection, made for the Ottoman sultans and the palace people, is registered in the Istanbul Glass and Porcelains section at the Topkapı Palace Museum. In 1851, the London First International, "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations" exhibition was held. It is known that more than 22,000 "equivalent" items from the United States, France, the Dutch countries, Spain, Portugal, Prussia, Zollverein states, Russia, India, the Ottoman Empire and various countries were exhibited in this exhibition. About 700 manufacturers from the Ottoman state participated in this exhibition with many products. In the archive document, “One each of crystal, glass, bowl, glass, plate, tea ewer, water jug, ink pot, bowl made of bowl and pottery clay jug, glass, bowl, pottery, jar, jar and similar items made of Fağfur, Frenk and Kütahya mines sample works were taken. i The fair, which was open for six months, was closed on October 11, 1851. At the end of the exhibition, the committees distributed 3088 medals, 170 of which were large, and many "Grand Medals" and incentive awards were won among Ottoman products. Among these awards, there is also an award given to “… factory management for Beykoz Fabrika-i Hümayunu products”.
Beykoz glass, which we consider as a very precious handicraft today, was actually sent to international industrial fairs among the most advanced industrial organizations of the period, representing the industrial aspect of the Ottoman Empire in this field, and won awards with these features. Beykoz Glasses were, in a sense, the symbol of a new glass industry that had begun to be established in the Empire during its time. Because almost all of these products, which were unearthed in the 19th century, were regarded as symbols of new technologies.
Thus, Sultan III. Mustafa and his son Sultan III. The attempts to establish a glass industry in the Ottoman Empire, which started in the times of Selim, yielded a certain result and the Beykoz Factory products won an award as a new glass brand at the industry fair held in England and registered its quality.