Askeri Müze Koleksiyonunda Mimar Sinan’a Atfedilen Pergel

Challenging the Legend: A Forensic Typology and Attribution Verification of the “Mimar Sinan Compasses”

Title: A Set of Compasses Attributed to Mimar Sinan in the Collection of the Military Museum (Askeri Müze Koleksiyonunda Mimar Sinan’a Atfedilen Pergel)

Journal: MASROP E-Dergi (E-Journal Common Platform of Architects, Archaeologists, Art Historians and Conservator-Restorers)

Volume/Issue: Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 62-73

Year: 2019

When Institutional Narratives Meet Material Truth: Unmasking a Historical Misattribution

“In historical museums, certain artifacts acquire an unvouched legendary standing due to gaps in early cataloging. A prime example is a 16th-century curved iron tool registered in the Harbiye Military Museum with the definitive label: ‘Compasses belonging to Architect Mimar Sinan’. Given Mimar Sinan’s profound philosophical self-identification with the compass in his autobiography Tezkiretü’l Bünyan, this object held immense sentimental and institutional value.

However, Forensic Conservation insists on questioning institutional blindness rather than accepting unverified legacy text. Operating as the principal investigator with special authorization from the ATASE Command, I conducted an exhaustive comparative typology, analogies, and geometric simulation campaign on the 49 cm forged iron object. By cross-referencing its asymmetrical, inward-curving design with historical mathematical tool treatises (such as Nicolas Bion, 1758) and the Galileo Museum collections, I executed a complete geometric refutation. The structural evidence proved that the device was not a geometric drafting tool or military ballistics caliper, but an 18th-century French or British sculptor’s caliper. This study stands as a bold methodological manifesto, proving that verifying historical attribution before permanent change is introduced is a core, non-negotiable duty of the modern conservator.

Key Highlights & Impact

The Geometric Refutation: Conducting digital closure simulations to prove that the asymmetrical jaws fail to execute uniform circular metrics or act as standard templates, completely debunking the 1948 Ibrahim Hakkı Konyalı legend.
Re-identifying the Biography: Successfully matching the tool’s form and 1.18 kg weight structure with late 18th-century sculptor calipers used for three-dimensional anatomical tracking.
Institutional Redefinition: Officially notifying the Military Museum to either change the inventory description or withdraw the artifact from public display to prevent historical misinformation.
The Conservation Bench as an Audit Site: Demonstrating that the documentation phase of any artifact arriving at a laboratory must double as a strict attribution check, transforming the conservator from a passive technician into an active Epistemic Agent.

An artifact in a museum is only as real as its verified attribution. Without a forensic audit, we risk exhibiting legendary folklore rather than authentic history.

Special Acknowledgements

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the General Staff ATASE Command and the Military Museum Administration for authorizing this investigation. Special thanks to Teacher Lieutenant Hasan Hüsnü Yıldız, Art Historian Şenay Çimen, and Expert Bengin Bilici for their invaluable logistics and research support throughout the study.

Genç, U . (2019). Askeri Müze Koleksiyonunda Mimar Sinan’a Atfedilen Pergel. MASROP E-Dergi , 13 (1) , 62-73.

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