Melis Taner

Melis Taner is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the 4A Laboratory: Art Histories, Archaeologies, Anthropologies, Aesthetics program at the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz, while serving as Assistant Professor of Art History at Ozyegin University, Istanbul. Her work bridges Ottoman and Safavid art history with a focus on transcultural interactions.

Her research examines early modern artistic and scientific exchanges, particularly through illustrated Islamic manuscripts. Her recent monograph Caught in a Whirlwind: A Cultural History of Ottoman Baghdad as Reflected in its Illustrated Manuscripts analyzes the 16th-17th century Baghdad art market between Ottoman-Safavid rivalries. Current research investigates global connections in early modern Islamic manuscripts, comparing European botanical prints (e.g., Pietro Andrea Mattioli's Dioscorides commentary) with Ottoman and Islamic traditions.

This project is part of a collaboration between the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz and the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz. Taner studies three manuscripts from 1710 (Aleppo), Topkapı, and an undated compilation to chart intersections of art, nature, and cross-cultural dialogue.