One of the most remarkable examples of this research is Hovhannes Agha Düzyan, who was associated with the Imperial Mint (Darphâne-i Âmire) during the reign of Sultan Mahmud I. Having his identity brought to light through the amalgamation of archival documents in different languages, Düzyan is linked to one of the most extraordinary firearms that survived from the Ottoman period to the present day. This magnificent, jewel-encrusted rifle, which masterfully conceals a rich hunting set within its stock, ceases to be a masterpiece of unknown authorship; instead, it can now be evaluated within a commission system carried out under the patronage of specific masters, palace workshops, and the sultan.
Similarly, surviving documents regarding Manase Hekimyan open a different window onto the production process in the Ottoman palace. His correspondence with Refia Sultan and detailed jewelry design drawings demonstrate a much closer creative collaboration between the Sultan and the master than previously expected. These documents reveal that Ottoman jewelry was not merely the product of placed orders, but that the design process was at times shaped by mutual exchanges of ideas and aesthetic discussions.
One of the most striking outcomes of this documentary research is the re-identification of Sarkis Acemyan, the Chief Swordmaker (Kılıççıbaşı) of the Ottoman Palace. Although the swords bearing his signature are preserved today in the world’s leading museums such as the Topkapı Palace Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Benaki Museum, the inscription ‘amel-i Acemoğlu’ (the work of Acemoğlu) on their hilts had been misinterpreted for many years based on the word ‘Acem’ (Persian), and the master was introduced as Iranian in the literature. However, this error was decisively corrected by cross-referencing museum records with Ottoman and Armenian archival documents, examining registers, and most importantly, through the rediscovery of his tombstone by Arsen Yarman in the Istanbul Balıklı Armenian Cemetery. Thus, it has been proven beyond dispute that this famous swordmaster, whose works are exhibited in world museums, was in fact the Armenian artisan Sarkis Acemyan, and the erroneous information repeated for years alongside his works has been scientifically rectified.
The book contains many similar examples. Nigoghos Çizmeciyan, Mıgırdiç Melkonyan, Balaban Düzoğlu Boğos, and many other Armenian goldsmiths reclaim their places on the stage of history thanks to the comparison of independent archival sources. Each newly uncovered biography does not merely enrich the history of Ottoman jewelry with fresh information; anonymous masters and misidentified individuals are replaced by real people whose life stories, professional careers, and works are illuminated by documentation. Consequently, the history of Ottoman jewelry becomes a history of the people who created them, rather than just a history of the artifacts.
From the perspective of researchers, this approach represents one of the most significant methodological transformations in the study of Ottoman jewelry in recent years. Every newly uncovered signature, every workshop record found, and every archival document discovered adds a new piece to the still-incomplete historical panorama. For this reason, it is impossible to view Ottoman jewelry history as a completed narrative. As new documents emerge, forgotten masters regain their identities, and the world of production behind these masterpieces becomes more visible, history continuously expands and deepens.
In this regard, ‘Jewelry and Armenian Goldsmiths under the Ottomans’ is not a study that merely compiles existing information. By systematically utilizing Armenian archives, tombstones, correspondence, and family records—which for many years could not be sufficiently integrated into research due to language barriers—alongside Ottoman sources, it introduces a new methodology to Ottoman goldsmithing studies. While filling a major gap in the field with this comprehensive work, Arsen Yarman simultaneously opens up new questions, new sources, and new paths of inquiry for future research.