Mestçi-zâde Seyyid Mehmed Efendi

Mestçi-zâde Seyyid Mehmed Efendi was a calligrapher who lived during the 18th century. His name, "Mestçi-zâde," is a patronymic that refers to his father's profession as a "mest" maker, a "mest" being the Ottoman word or a kind of "light, thin-soled boot worn indoors or inside overshoes" (Redhouse). Mehmed ‘Atâ, known as Mestçi-zâde is said to have copied a Qur’ān and donated it to the Mosque of Hekim-oğlu Ali Pasha at its inauguration in 1734–35. There is a Qur’ān manuscript dated 1197 A.H./ 1782–83 A.D. in the Ekrem Hakkı Ayverdi collection at the Kubbealtı Foundation in Istanbul (EHA XII/4) that is signed by Mehmed ‘Atâ, known as Mestçi-zâde. The colophon of the Qur’ān states that Mehmed ‘Atâ, known as Mestçi-zâde was a student of Kebecizâde Mehmed Vasfi Efendi.