Page with illuminated calligraphy

İsmâ‘îl Zühdî (“Eski Zühdî”) (Ottoman, died 1731)

1723 A.D./ 1136 A.H.

Object PlaceTurkey

Medium/TechniqueInk and gold on paper

DimensionsHeight x width: 33.4 × 25.5 cm (13 1/8 × 10 1/16 in.)

Credit LineHelen and Alice Colburn Fund

Accession number29.117

On View

Not on view

ClassificationsBooks and manuscripts

Collections

Description

Ottoman calligraphers often demonstrated their skills by writing different styles and sizes of Arabic script on rectangular sheets of paper, which were then illuminated, mounted on pasteboard, and assembled into accordion fold albums, known as muraqqaʿ. This vertical folio contains several horizontal panels of calligraphy containing Hadith, each outlined with gold margins. An illuminator added verse markers and the marbled papers were speckled with silver leaf.

ProvenanceMiss Elizabeth (Riefstahl) Titzel (b. 1889 - d. 1986), New York; 1929, sold by Miss Elizabeth (Riefstahl) Titzel to the MFA for $5000.00 (total price for 29.56-136). (Accession Date: January 3, 1929)