KENT ANTIQUES ISLAMIC & INDIAN ART ORIENTALIST PAINTINGS

WORKS OF ART FROM THE ISLAMIC AND INDIAN WORLDS INCLUDING ORIENTALIST, MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY PAINTINGS WORKS OF ART FROM THE ISLAMIC AND INDIAN WORLDS INCLUDING ORIENTALIST MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY PAINTINGS

KENT ANTIQUES ISLAMIC & INDIAN ART ORIENTALIST PAINTINGS

Flat 3 107 Queen’s Gate London, SW7 5AG England tel. + 44 (0) 20 7370 2914 mob. + 44 (0) 7887 985951 [email protected] www.kentantiques.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PREFACE

We are indebted to many distinguished experts and scholars for their assistance during the preparation of this catalogue. Dr Melanie Gibson kindly wrote an insightful article for the Timurid jug which adds a further scholarly dimension to our catalogue.

Special thanks are due to Mrs. Nahla Nasser for kindly providing information on the talismanic shirt in the Khalili Collection, London. I am proud to present our fifth catalogue which includes We are grateful to Mr. Stephen Wolff who kindly read selected works of art from the Islamic and the catalogue entries and shared his insight and remarks Indian worlds. It also includes Orientalist paintings, on many matters during the preparation of this catalogue. a bronze from the ancientworld as well as modern Ms. Camilla Marking of the National Gallery, London, and contemporary paintings and sculpture. who kindly helped us to source the photograph of Bellini’s portrait of Sultan Mehmed II for the Kent Antiques stand I hope that museums and private collectors will have as much at the Paris Biennale. pleasure with this selection as I have had gathering the pieces.

I would also like to take this opportunity to express The accompanying texts are meant to provide a basic my thanks to my brother Dr. Bora Keskiner who did description of the piece and information about their functional extensive research and wrote the texts. and artistic background. We have also endeavoured to provide as much bibliographical information and comparable The effective presentation of the materials would material as possible. not have been possible without the participation of Mr. Peter Keenan, Mr. Richard Harris, and fine art I am delighted to announce that Kent Antiques will be exhibiting photographer Mr. Alan Tabor. at La Biennale Paris, Grand Palais, Av. Winston Churchill, 75008 Paris,13-17 September 2019 Mehmet Keskiner If you need any further information I will be happy to oblige.

Mehmet Keskiner

1

EXTREMELY FINE AND LARGE IZNIK POLYCHROME TILE

Ottoman Empire Painted under clear glaze with coral red, ultramarine, Circa 1575 blue, turquoise, green on white background. Attributable to Symmetrically arranged saz leaves centred on a hatai ‘Master Mehmed of Iznik’ palmette. Further half-palmettes around the sides. Dimension: 30.5 x 29.5 cm. This tile is exceptional for its size, jewel-like colours and quality of execution. Examples in situ can be seen on the walls of the privy chamber (Has Oda) in the Pavillion of Sultan Murad III at the Imperial Harem of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.

This pavilion was built by the court architect Sinan in 1578. It consists of two-domed halls with a square plan. The lower parts of the walls of the entrance hall and the main area are covered with splendid Iznik tiles.

Counterparts of the present tile are used on both sides of the fireplace (ocak), running from floor to ceiling. The fireplace and these tiles are published in Ara Altun & Belgin Arlı’s Tiles – Treasures of Anatolian Soil – Ottoman Period, Kale Group Cultural Publications, Istanbul, 2008, p. 107.

The tiles from the privy chamber of Sultan Murad III are especially important because the name of the tile-master and the year of production are known. The name ‘Mehmed’, is recorded in an imperial decree, dated 1575, when tiles were ordered by Sultan Murad III from Iznik (Ara Altun & Belgin Arlı, ibid, p. 107).

Provenance Ex-Private French Collection (prior to 2006) The Late Sir Howard Hodgkin (purchased in 2006)

2

IMPORTANT IZNIK POLYCHROME ‘QUATRE FLEURS’ TILE

Ottoman Empire Painted in coral red, ultramarine, blue and green on Other examples are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Circa 1575 white background, with a blue medallion with a floral New York, (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/ Dimension: 24.3 x 23.8 cm. spray in reserve containing palmettes, saz leaves and search/447013), the Musée du Louvre, Paris (Please see carnations. To the side is a prunus spray, a carnation Islamic Art at the Musée du Louvre, Louvre éditions, and a tulip. Hazan, Paris, 2012, fig. 182, p. 313), and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (http://islamic-arts.org/2011/ The distinctive feature of this beautiful tile is ceramic-tiles-collection-at-lacma/). the blue ground medallion. The design includes the Ottoman repertoire of naturalistic flowers. Provenance It is painted in the bright colours for which Iznik The Collection of French Traveller Leon Cochard is famed, including coral red. Tiles of this type came from a building of the later part of the Leon Cochard was a French collector and traveller. 16th century which is no longer standing. He travelled extensively from Paris to Bukhara and Samarkand, writing a book about his travels: Paris, Panels of identical tiles can however be seen Boukara, Samarcand - Notes de Voyage, published in in the Eyup Sultan complex on the shores of Paris in 1891 by Librairie Hachette. According to his travel the Golden Horne in Istanbul. This important notes Cochard arrived in Istanbul on 25 October 1888. complex houses the mausoleum of Aba Ayyub al-Ansari (d. 674), one of the flag-bearers of He travelled to Mudanya and appreciated the beautiful Prophet Muhammad. nature and historical surroundings. He witnessed the ongoing railway work. He learned a great deal about the The wall of the mausoleum facing the mosque construction of the Anatolian railway. has a number of panels of Iznik tiles. They date from earlier periods and were assembled On his way back to Istanbul he visited Bursa, praising the during the reconstruction of the mosque in historical public baths. He visited the Yeni Kaplica, the 1798-1799 under Sultan Selim III (r. 1789-1808). public baths built by Sultan Suleyman I’s vizier Rustem The Cover of Leon Cochard’s Book Pasha in the Cekirge district, famously decorated with hexagonal Iznik tiles. He visited a number of other monuments including the Green Mosque, another building featuring spectacular Iznik tiles.

He returned to Istanbul on 1 November, and witnessed the Friday ceremony attended by Sultan Abdulhamid II (r. 1876-1908) on 26 October. With the assistance of Ahmed Shefik Bey, the son of the former governor of Bursa, he managed to enter the palace where he observed the sultan and the servants.

This tile was probably acquired by Cochard in Istanbul during the above-mentioned travels. 3

RARE IZNIK POLYCHROME ‘SAILING SHIP’ DISH

Ottoman Empire Fritware, underglaze painted in blue, coral red, green, Circa 1600 black, depicting a sailing ship in a wavy sea, the borders Diameter: 30.6 cm. decorated with wave and rock design and the back with small stylized flowers.

This dish belongs to a small group of wares depicting sailing ships. The ships depicted are either European galleys, or as in this case lateen-rigged sailing ships. In the Ottoman navy, ships propelled by oars and using sails, were favoured until the second half of the 17th century. The Turkish names for such boats were göke, baştarda, kadırga, mavna, kalyata, karamürsel, palaşkerme, fırkate, korvet, karavele, kırlangıç.

For a comprehensive discussion of this group, please see Gönül Öney’s Ottoman Ceramics Embracing the Mediterranean and Their Reflections to the Present, Suna-Ínan Kıraç Research Institute on Mediterranean Civilizations, Antalya, 2009, pp. 25-43, and cats. 33, 35, 36 for closely related examples. See also Julian Raby & Nurhan Atasoy’s Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, Alexandria Press, 1989, pp. 280-284 and Walter B. Denny, Iznik, Thames & Hudson, 2004, p. 182.

After Bernard Rackham’s Islamic Pottery and Italian Maiolica, London, 1959, pl. 91B, No. 210 4

PAIR OF IZNIK BLUE AND GREEN TILES

Ottoman Empire Two tiles each of identical design with a symmetrical composition Circa 1600 of tulips and flowers, in green and cobalt-blue on a white ground. Dimensions: (Each) 25 x 25 cm. The color scheme of these tiles viz blue and green, is rare. The tiles relate to those of the last great Iznik tile commission, the Yeni Camii (New Mosque) in the Eminonu district in Istanbul ordered by Safiye Sultan, mother of Sultan Mehmed III, and began in 1597. A characteristic feature of the tiles used in Yeni Camii is the blue and turquoise color scheme although the quality of the present tiles is superior.

The designs on our tiles include ubiquitous carnations as well as tulips. The Turkish/Persian word for tulip ‘Lale’ is written with the same letters as the word for God (Allah), perhaps the reason why the tulip motif is so widely favored by the Ottomans.

For other tiles of this type reused on the exterior of the minaret of the Eşrefoğlu Rumi Mosque in Iznik, see; Belgin Demirsar Arlı and Ara Altun’s Tiles – Treasures of Anatolian Soil – Ottoman Period, 2008, p. 293.

Provenance Private UK Collection 5

IZNIK BLUE AND WHITE HEXAGONAL TILE

Ottoman Empire Painted in two shades of cobalt blue and turquoise Circa 1530 with a design of arabesques forming trefoils, centred Dimensions: 17.6 x 20 cm. on lotus palmettes. All surrounded by further palmettes, arabesques and saz leaves.

This tile which is of extremely high quality, belongs to the second phase of Iznik pottery production, exemplified by the colour scheme including turquoise, and a design of Timurid style lotus palmettes.

The design of this tile is associated with the work of the masters of Tabriz (ustādān-i Tabrīz), the potters who signed the tiles of the mihrab of the Green Mosque of Bursa. The Tabrizi masters also worked on the Çinili Kiosk attached to the Topkapi Palace, the only standing Timurid palace to have survived.

Similar tiles can be seen on the facade of the Sünnet Odası (Circumcision Room) located in the fourth courtyard of the Topkapi Palace, please see Arlı, Belgin Demirsar & Ara Altun. Tiles – Treasures of Anatolian Soil – Ottoman Period, Kale Group Publications, Istanbul, 2008, p. 126-129.

A related tile in the British Museum (inv. no. OA 623-4) in London is published on the cover of Michael Roger’s Islamic Art & Design, London, 1983.

Provenance Private UK Collection

6

QAJAR POLYCHROME TILE DEPICTING A PRINCE AND A PRINCESS

Persia Fritware, moulded, underglaze polychrome painted tile, 19th Century depicting a prince and a princess on horseback in relief. 39 x 44 cm. The prince has a falcon perching on his arm and the princess holding a parasol. The background of the tile has been embellished with spring flowers and palaces in far distance, an agha mastiff in the foreground guarding the couple.

Evidence suggests that the art of falconry may have begun in Mesopotamia and Persia with the earliest accounts dating to approximately 2,000 BC. The falcon was a symbolic bird of ancient Mongol tribes and a sign of kingly authority in the Middle East.

During the 7th century AD, figures of falconer on horseback were described on the rocks in Kyrgyz. Falconry was probably introduced to the West around AD 400, when the Huns and Alans invaded Europe from the East.

A comparable Qajar tile in the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg depicting one of the ancient shahs of Persia is published in Beyond the Palace Walls – Islamic Art from the State Hermitage Museum, Ed. Mikhail B. Piotrovsky, NMS, 2006, p. 168. RARE AND IMPORTANT EARLY IZNIK DISH 7

BLUE AND WHITE IZNIK DISH

Ottoman Empire Large, rimless, fritware, underglaze painted in two shades of cobalt Circa 1530-1535 blue and turquoise on a brilliant white ground, decorated with Diameter: 31.5 cm. rotational designs of scrolling vines bearing palmettes and leaves, around the cavetto a similar continuous floral frieze, below the rim an undulating band with narrow panels of waves. The exterior is decorated with a frieze matching the cavetto.

The designs on this remarkable dish echo those of tilework on the front of the Sünnet Odası (Chamber of Circumcision) in the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul. Please see Belgin Demirsar Arli & Ara Altun’s Tiles: Treasures of Anatolian Soil – Ottoman Period, Kale Group Cultural Publications, Istanbul, 2008, pp. 127-129, figs. 131, 132, 133. They both feature a similar palette viz shades of cobalt blue and turquoise on a brilliant white ground, with rotational designs of scrolling vines bearing palmettes and saz leaves. These designs in turn owe their origins to early 15th century Chinese blue and white porcelain.

There is a Chinese rimless dish at the Ardebil Shrine that would have served as a prototype for a dish such as the present example (inv. no. 29.119) please see: John Alexander Pope, Chinese Porcelain from the Ardebil Shrine, Smythsonian Institution, Washington DC, 1956. Plate 36.

Rimless Iznik dishes are rare. For the shape please see Julian Raby & Nurhan Atasoy’s Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, Alexandria Press, 1989, p. 38, fig. 27. There are two closely related Iznik dishes. One is in the Gulbenkian Foundation Museum, Lisbon (inv. no. 859), please see Julian Raby & Nurhan Atasoy’s Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, Alexandria Press, 1989, fig. 338. The second is in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum (inv. no. 41/155), please see Esin Atil’s The Age of Suleyman the Magnificent, National Gallery of Art, Washinton, 1987, p. 248.

After John Alexander Pope, Chinese Porcelain from the Ardebil Shrine, Smythsonian Institution, Washington DC, 1956. Plate 36. RARE ÇINTEMANI JUG 8

IZNIK POLYCHROME JUG WITH ÇINTEMANI DESIGN

Ottoman Empire Fritware, with bulbous body, slightly flaring neck Circa 1565 and s-shaped handle. Painted in cobalt blue, Height: 19.3 cm. turquoise and raised coral red, with eight groups of three balls (çintemani) on the body, four on the neck. There are small arabesque medallions and dots in the background. The handle has a ladder design. Narrow chevron and scroll borders.

This jug, with its bold, abstract çintemani design, is almost without parallel. Çintemani design, created in the 16th century in the Ottoman palace workshops (nakkaşhane) can be seen in the magnificent reused border tiles in the Library of Ahmed III (r. 1703-1730), as well as some of the imperial silk robes (kaftan) preserved in the Topkapi Palace Museum. Please see Ara Altun & Belgin Arlı’s Tiles – Treasures of Anatolian Soil – Ottoman Period, Kale Group Cultural Publications, Istanbul, 2008, fig. 140, p. 135 and Michael Rogers’ Topkapi: Costumes, Embroideries and other Textiles, Thames & Hudson, London, 1989, pl. 22. 9

RARE INTACT KASHAN LUSTRE POTTERY ALBARELLO

Persia Cylindrical with slightly flaring sides, upward sloping shoulder, short truncated Early 13th Century neck and out-turned rim. The body decorated with a frieze of bold kufic inscription Height: 21.3 cm. against scrolls, either side naskh inscriptions scratched through a solid band running around the albarello. The shoulder with a frieze of floral scrolls. Another band of scratched naskh inscription around the neck. The mouth with a solid band of lustre, stylized leaves around the base.

Arabic inscription repeated in kufic and naskh bands reads: االقبال والدوله و االنعام Transliteration: ‘Al-iqbāl wa al-dawla wa al-in‘ām’ Translation: ‘Good-fortune and prosperity and blessings’.

In the early years of the 20th century, medieval Persian lusterware survived only in fragmentary form. This all changed in the 1940s with the discovery of large storage jars containing lustre-painted ceramics in near perfect condition (similar to the present jar), in the medieval city of Gurgan, near modern Gunbad-i Qabus in the Caspian region of Iran, please see Oya Pancaroğlu’s Perpetual Glory: Medieval Islamic Ceramics from the Harvey B. Plotnick Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, 2007, p. 124. These finds were written up and published after the excavations by Dr. Mehdi Bahrami, Gurgan Faiences, Cairo, 1949.

Lustre, invented by Muslim masters in the 9th century, is an over-glaze technique in which metallic pigment is applied over the glaze in a second lower temperature firing.

A certain Abu’l Qasim, brother of Yusuf of the Abu’l Tahir family which dominated lustre production in Kashan, wrote on pottery in 1300. Abu’l Qasim ended up as a court historian at the Mongol capital Tabriz, where amongst other works he contributed to the monumental Jāmi‘ al-Tawārikh (Compilation of Histories) under the direction of the Mongol vizier Rashid-al-Din. At the end of a work on precious stones and perfumes, Abu’l Qasim added an appendix on the art of pottery, which he described as a ‘kind of alchemy’. Please see Oliver Watson’s Persian Lustre Ware, Faber and Faber, London, 1985, pp. 31-32.

Lustre reached its apogee in the early 1200s, the time this albarello was produced, just before the devastating Mongol invasions which happened twenty years later.

Provenance Private UK Collection 10

IMPRESSIVE HISPANO-MORESQUE LUSTRE POTTERY DISH

Hispano-Moresque With wide rim. Painted in cobalt blue and lustre 16th century with panels of intricate foliage centred on a roundel Diameter: 51.8 cm containing the monogram ‘IHS’. The vertical cavetto Tin-glazed Earthenware with similar floral panels. The rim with a white band of reserved trifoils.

The ceramic techniques of painting with metallic lustre were introduced by the Moors to Spain, where many workshops flourished in the southern part of the country from the 13th century onwards.

Decorative patterns deriving from Islamic sources were often coupled with European motifs, such as heraldic animals and coats of arms, and also the monogram ‘IHS’ that can be seen in the centre of the present dish.

The centre of this dish is inscribed with the monogram ‘IHS’, for Iesus Hominum Salvator (Jesus the Savior of Men). This is the monogram that Saint Bernard of Siena held up for veneration at the end of his sermons. The dish may have been used as a serving trencher at a table or, given its large size and elaborate decoration for display on a sideboard.

Comparable Hispano-Moresque lustre pieces in the Hakky Bey Collection are published in Collection Hakky Bey – Catalogue des Object d’Art, Hotel Drouot, Paris, 1906, pls. 69, 71, 75, 76. For a Hispano-Moresque lustre vase with similar decoration in the Collection of Baron Edmund de Rothschild, please see: M. Gaston Migeon’s Exposition des Arts Musulmans, Paris, 1903, pl. 60. UNIQUE TIMURID JUG 11

RARE AND IMPORTANT INTACT TIMURID BLUE AND WHITE POTTERY JUG

Mashrabah The pot-bellied shape of this drinking vessel known as and Chinese porcelain examples have the same Central Asia, a mashrabah became popular in the fifteenth century, sinuous dragon-shaped handles, the head clamped probably Samarqand, made in different materials, often with a sinuous to the rim and a curling tail attached to the bottom circa 1400-1450 dragon-shaped handle. This fine, intact example is of the body, it seems likely that this was also the Stonepaste body, decorated made with a pale pink stonepaste body coated in a case with the stonepaste versions, and this example with cobalt blue under a white stonepaste slip, decorated entirely with cobalt appears to prove that assumption. Although there has colourless transparent glaze and finished with a transparent glaze. The body of been some abrasion to the surface, the dragon form the vessel has a high cylindrical neck painted with a is unmistakeable: the top of the handle is rounded to Height: 11 cm band of narrowly spaced vertical lines. The top of the indicate the head and the spiky profile of the body is Diameter of body: 10 cm shoulder is painted with two overlapping festoons: the visible painted along one side. Diameter of mouth: 4.8 cm higher one with three-lobed shapes hanging from the Diameter of foot ring: 5.8 cm points of the garland, the lower one with fanned out The fashion for blue-and-white Chinese porcelain triangular motifs with a central pendant, connected was at its height across the Middle Eastern regions at the points by smaller three-lobed shapes. A third in the early fifteenth century and an industry festoon with triangular clusters of three circles, the manufacturing local versions began operating in uppermost one with a pointed final, points upwards. Samarqand, probably from the moment that it became A band around the bottom of the jug, above the round the Timurid capital. The pottery workshops received foot, is painted with cloud-forms below two parallel an influx of new craftsmen after the sack of Syria; the lines. The handle has a wide curving form and flares Spanish envoy Ruy Gonzales de Clavijo who visited out at the top where it joins the neck to represent a the court of Timur in 1404, mentions that his haul dragon’s head. It is painted with thick lines of cobalt from Damascus included: “…craftsmen of glass and along both sides of the handle; the upper line has a pottery… known to the best in the world”.5 These spiky profile to indicate the dorsal spikes of the dragon. captured Syrian potters initially reproduced the Overall the cobalt is thinly applied and has blurred on motifs and patterns that they or their forerunners had some of the design. The glaze is abraded in places but developed, inspired by the wave of Yuan era (1271– its original glossy quality is preserved on the interior of 1368) blue-and-white porcelains imported into Syria the vessel. and Egypt in the period 1340–70. By the time Ulugh Beg became governor of Samarqand in 1409 new A royal mashrabah carved from white jade with an elaborate curved dragon handle is inscribed with the name and titles of Ulugh Beg, grandson of Timur, who 1 Lisbon, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, no. 328; see Thomas ruled as governor of Samarqand from 1409 until his W. Lentz and Glenn D. Lowry, Timur and the Princely Vision (Los Angeles and Washington D.C, 1989) p. 144, fig. 46. death in 1449.1 Several examples dating from the 2 Almost thirty metal examples are known, several of which second half of the fifteenth century were made in have dragon handles, see for example one in the Victoria & Albert Herat in cast brass inlaid in silver and gold;2 the form Museum 943-1886, dated 866/1461-2, Lentz and Lowry, Timur and is also likely to have been produced in the first half of the Princely Vision, p. 206, cat.no. 110. the century since it was copied in porcelain in both 3 For examples see Craig Clunas and Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming: 50 Years That Changed China (London 2014) pp.94–5. In a Chinese the Yongle (1403–24) and Xuande (1426–35) periods, context this shape is described as a tankard; three examples a time in which numerous Islamic metal shapes were with dragon-shaped handles are datable to the Yongle period reproduced in the Jingdezhen workshops.3 A lidded (1403-24): British Museum, London, 1950,0403.1, Jessica Harrison- mashrabah made of blue-and-white ceramic, probably Hall Catalogue of Late Yuan and Ming Ceramics in the British porcelain, appears in a painting from a Gulistan by Museum (London 2001) p.105, no.3:14; Burrell Collection, Glasgow, 38/443 (unpublished) and Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Sa‘di dated 891/1486; it is placed on the ground York, 1991.253.38 (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/ 4 beside an image of the poet himself. search/44744). 4 ‘Sa‘di and the youth of Kashgar’, folio from a Gulistan by Sa‘di, This ceramic mashrabah is unique in having a Herat, dated 891/1486. Art and History Collection LTS1995.2.33, dragon-shaped handle. Most known examples are folio 55a (https://archive.asia.si.edu/explore/worlds-within-worlds/ zoom/sadi-and-the-youth-of-kashgar.asp). fitted with simple curved handles, although in some 5 Ruy Gonzales de Clavijo, Embassy to Tamerlane 1403-1406, cases these are replacements of the original. Since the translated by G. Le Strange (Abingdon, 2005, reprint of 1928 Ulugh Beg mashrabah and some of the metal edition).p.151. styles of Chinese blue-and-white porcelains were wares around that time) appear to have abandoned available, largely as a result of the diplomatic the shape; it continued to be made in ceramic only missions launched by Shah Rukh and Ulugh Beg. at Nishapur and Mashhad but had ceased by the The government of the Ming emperor Yongle was beginning of the Safavid period (1501–1722).17 an active collaborator in these diplomatic exchanges: in the period of his rule (1403-24) envoys were Dr. Melanie Gibson dispatched by land and seven naval expeditions were launched under the direction of the Muslim eunuch Zheng He.6 The Chinese administration expected gifts of horses, pearls and precious stones and the Timurid rulers wanted silk and porcelain in return.

6 E. Dreyer, Zheng He: China and the Oceans in the Early Ming Chinese inspiration is visible in several aspects of Dynasty, 1405-1433 (New York, 2006). the decoration of this mashrabah: the pattern of 7 Metropolitan Museum of Art 1991.253.38 (https://www. overlapping festoons on the shoulder recalls the metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/44744). pattern around the neck of a small porcelain tankard 8 Washington, Freer Sackler F1951.15 (https://www.freersackler. with a dragon handle datable to the Yongle period si.edu/object/F1951.15/); British Museum PDF,B.639, Stacey Pierson, Illustrated Catalogue of Underglaze Blue and Copper Red Decorated (1403-24),7 while the stripes around the neck may be Porcelains in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art ( London a much simplified version of an arcade motif found 2004) p.86; British Museum PDF,688, Stacey Pierson, Illustrated 8 on three Xuande period (1426-35) vessels. This was Catalogue of Underglaze Blue and Copper Red, p. 49. evidently a popular shape in ceramic and there are 9 Copenhagen, David Collection 33/1987, Kjeld von Folsach , Art a number of examples which can be attributed to from the World of Islam in the David Collection (Copenhagen, 2001) p.176, no.229. the production centres of Samarqand, Nishapur and 10 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 69.13, M. Jenkins, Mashhad. The shape and proportions of these vessels ‘Islamic pottery, a brief history’, Metropolitan Museum of Art are fairly similar, ranging from 14–17 centimetres in Bulletin 40, no. 4, Spring, 1983, p. 38, no. 42; height. The majority are decorated with animal or 11 Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art POT 896, see Melanie floral motifs in cobalt blue: one example in the David Gibson ‘Ceramics from Central Asia and Iran in the Timurid Period’, A Rival to China, Later Islamic Pottery, Vol. X, (London, The Nasser D. actual size Collection may also have a dragon handle but the Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, forthcoming). 9 form is much less distinct. Another example is 12 Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art POT 1369, see Melanie painted around the body with ducks set amongst Gibson ‘Ceramics from Central Asia and Iran in the Timurid Period’. scrolling foliage around the body;10 a third with a fox 13 British Museum 1949,0415.1, or jackal running in a landscape;11 a fourth with two (https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/ BIBLIOGRAPHY collection_online/collection_object_details. roundels containing animals,12 a fifth and sixth with aspx?objectId=237127&partId=1&searchText=1949,0415.1+&page 13 de Clavijo, Ruy Gonzales, Embassy to Tamerlane 1403-1406, Jenkins, Marylin, ‘Islamic pottery, a brief history’, Metropolitan dragons wound around the body; and a seventh =1); Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art POT 897, see Melanie with floral decoration on the body and a wave pattern Gibson ‘Ceramics from Central Asia and Iran in the Timurid Period’. translated by G. Le Strange, Abingdon, 2005, Museum of Art Bulletin 40, no. 4, Spring, 1983, on the neck.14 Two vessels have a spout extending 14 New York, Brooklyn Museum 74.24 (https://www. reprint of 1928 edition. Lentz, Thomas W. and Glenn D. Lowry, Timur and the Princely from the body which functioned as a mouthpiece: in brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/100377) Clunas, Craig and Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming: 50 Years That Vision, Los Angeles and Washington D., 1989. 15 Both paintings are in albums in the Istanbul Topkapı Palace two paintings of the fifteenth century an old man is Changed China, London 2014. Medley, Margaret, Chinese Porcelain in the Istanbul Album Library: for H.2153, fol.130r, see Margaret Medley, Chinese Dreyer, E., Zheng He: China and the Oceans in the Early Paintings’, Islamic Art, 1, 1981. shown cupping the base with one hand, holding the Porcelain in the Istanbul Album Paintings’, Islamic Art, 1, 1981, handle with the other and sucking energetically from fig.384, and fig.400 for a detail; the second is H.2160, fol.88v, see Ming Dynasty, 1405-1433, New York, 2006. Pierson, Stacey, Illustrated Catalogue of Underglaze Blue and the spout.15 Two final examples which include a David Roxburgh, The Persian Album, 1400-1600: From Dispersal von Folsach, Kjeld , Art from the World of Islam in the David Copper Red Decorated Porcelains in the small one standing only 10.9 cms high, and one to Collection (Yale 2005) p.252, no.217. The vessels are in Oxford, Collection, Copenhagen, 2001. Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London 2004. Ashmolean EA1967.123 (http://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/object/ painted with a dragon, are decorated in black under Gibson, Melanie, ‘Ceramics from Central Asia and Iran in the Roxburgh, David, The Persian Album, 1400-1600: From EA1967.123); and Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art POT 853, Timurid Period’, A Rival to China, Later Islamic Pottery, Vol. Dispersal to Collection, Yale 2005. a turquoise glaze, a colour palette associated with see Melanie Gibson ‘Ceramics from Central Asia and Iran in the 16 production in Nishapur. Timurid Period’. X, London, The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, 16 The small jug is in the Freer Sackler F1908.160 (https://www. forthcoming. The mashrabah remained a characteristic vessel of freersackler.si.edu/object/F1908.160/) and the dragon jug is in the Grube, Ernst, ‘Notes on the Decorative Arts of the Timurid Keir Collection C.35, Ernst Grube, ‘Notes on the Decorative Arts of the Timurid period and by the middle of the fifteenth Period, II’, Islamic Art 3, 1988–9. the Timurid Period, II’, Islamic Art 3, 1988–9, p.207, fig.57. Harrison-Hall, Jessica, Catalogue of Late Yuan and Ming century the Ming potteries at Jingdezhen and those 17 The shape continued to be made in metalwork in the early We would like to thank Dr. Melanie Gibson at Samarqand (which ceased production of fine decades of the Safavid period. Ceramics in the British Museum, London 2001. for writing this article on the present Timurid jug. CARNATION MIRROR 12

UNUSUAL AND RARE OTTOMAN LADY’S CORAL AND LAPIS LAZULI-SET HAND MIRROR

Ottoman Empire An Ottoman coral and lapis lazuli-set hand mirror, set with 19th Century drop-shaped turquoise beads and round some lapis lazuli Length: 31.4 cm. and blue-coloured beads between inlaid coral decoration. The mirror is designed in the form of a stylized carnation. The sides of the upper mirror part are decorated with finely incised scrolls.

Mirrors were popular among the Ottoman elite. A collection of such items is preserved in the Topkapı Palace Museum a number of which were exhibited 17th October 1998 - 17th January 1999. Please see: Filiz Cagman, Sultanlarin Aynalari, Exhibition Catalogue, Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul, 1998.

This mirror is remarkable for its profuse use of coral, a valuable material recovered from the Red Sea. Lapis Lazuli was sourced from further East, Iran and Afghanistan.

The Ottomans acquired a taste for using luxury objects set with precious and/or semi- precious material primarily from the Byzantines who were famed for producing ceremonial objects with this particular decoration. At a later stage the Safavids also produced luxury objects set with precious stones, particularly turquoise. The present mirror is desirable due to its choice of materials and characteristic Ottoman “carnation” form.

Provenance Private Swiss Collection 13 14

OTTOMAN ENAMELLED AND DIAMOND-SET ‘MASHALLAH ’ BROOCH RUBY, EMERALD AND DIAMOND-SET BROOCH WITH THE OTTOMAN IMPERIAL COAT OF ARMS

Ottoman Empire Of drop shape, suspended from an upper bow, the green Ottoman Empire Depicting the coat of arms of the Ottoman Empire, with the tughra 19th Century enamelled surface encrusted with rose-cut diamonds Period of Sultan of Sultan Abdulhamid II (r. 1876-1909) engraved on a gold plaque, Heigth: 5.9 cm. forming a “Mashallah” inscription in thuluth, the back Abdulhamid II composed of various armorial motifs, set throughout with original with a hoop for a suspension. (r. 1876-1909) brilliant and rose-cut diamonds, circular-cut emerald and rubies, each Height: 4.8 cm. with a rose-cut diamond crescent and star, the garland of laurel leaves For a comparable brooch decorated with Arabic accented by a cushion-shaped diamond, the whole suspending a inscriptions in the Topkapi Palace Museum (TSM 2/6587), series of enamel and rose-cut diamond drops, representing medals/ Istanbul, please see Gül Irepoğlu’s Imperial Ottoman orders of the empire, mounted in silver and gold. Jewellery, BKG Publications, Istanbul, 2012, p. 281. Ottoman sultans had their own royal monogram or tughra, but only in the second half of the 19th century was an imperial coat of arms produced.

The Ottoman coat of arms was designed in response to a request from Hampton Court, and it found its final form in 1882, under Sultan Abdulhamid II. 15

EXTREMELY FINE OTTOMAN SILVER-FILIGREE ROSEWATER-SPRINKLER AND INCENSE-BURNER SET

Ottoman Empire The body in the shape of an urn supported either side by a 18th Century scroll handle ending in four scroll feet on a square shaped Height: 21 cm. base. Each cover with a finial in the form of a floral vase, one hinged, one with a screw-thread.

The pair display a high level of design and craftsmanship with intricate silver filigree work, mounted with coral and turquoise. In both, the body form is unusual and attention to detail is remarkable. A similar 18th century Ottoman incense-burner, displaying similar high quality filigree work, is in the Heritage Museum, Saint Petersburg. Another related rosewater- sprinklers and incense-burner set is in the Topkapi Palace Museum collections, donated to the Mausoleum of Prophet Muhammad, in Medina, by Khedive Abbas Hilmi Pasha (1816-1854). Please see: Istanbul – The City and the Sultan, De Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam, 2006, p. 92.

Incense was used to scent the air and was believed to have protective powers against the evil eye.

Rose water is a by-product of the process whereby a mixture of volatile essential oils is obtained through steam-distilling crushed petals of roses. The cultivation of various fragrant flowers for obtaining perfumes, including rose water, may date back to Sassanid Persia, where it was known as golāb, from gol (rose) and ab (water).

The production of rose water was refined by Persian and Arab chemists in the medieval Islamic world. Rose water sprinklers had an important place in religious and social gatherings. According to Muslim tradition, rose represents the Prophet Muhammad and its scent represents the smell of his skin. Rose water was also added to holy zamzam water for the cleaning of the Kaaba in Mecca.

The design of these vessels is extremely original, and the silver filigree work is very fine. SULTAN MEHMED II’S BOOK OF POEMS 16

SULTAN MEHMED II’S (R. 1451-1481) PERSONAL COLLECTION OF KAMAL KHUJANDI’S POEMS (DIWAN) DEDICATED TO HIS IMPERIAL TREASURY, SUBSEQUENTLY PASSED TO THE LIBRARY OF HIS SON SULTAN BAYAZID II (R. 1481-1512)

Ottoman Empire Manuscript on cream paper, 243 ff. plus 3 fly-leaves, The Reign of Sultan each folio with 17 lines of neat black nas-ta’liq script Mehmed II: 1451-1481 arranged in two columns with double gold Dimensions: 20 x 12 cm. intercolumnar rule, headings in gold and contained in clouds reserved against green or red-hatched The lacquer binding ground. Some panels of text with borders of gold signed and dated and polychrome scrolling vine, some folios with small ‘Lutf ‘Ali Shirazi 1287 AH’ panels with small clouds-bands framing text, first (1870 AD.) folio with elegant gold and polychrome illuminated headpiece, preceding folio with illuminated medallion with royal dedication to Sultan Mehmed II, first and final fly-leaves with later owner’s notes and stamps including one of his son Sultan Bayazid II’s imperial seals.

In extremely fine Qajar lacquer binding commissioned by the Qajar prince Muhammad Qasim Khan, signed by the artist Lutf ‘Ali Shirazi and dated 1287 AH /1870 AD. Miniature of Sultan Mehmed II (Topkapi Palace Museum Library, H 2153, Fol. 10a) The Imperial seal of Mehmed II’s The Royal Dedication in the gold medallion on fol. 1a: son Bayazid II. 15th Century, London 1993, p. 62). For this reason, the برسم خزانة السلطان االعظام مالك رقاب االمم ابو .mid-1460s was a period of intense artistic creativity المظفر سلطان محمد خان بن مراد خان ابدت سلطنته

Bi rasm khizānat al-Sultān al-A‘zam Mālik-i Riqāb al- The illumination of the medallion and the headpiece Umam Abu al-Muzaffar Sultān Mehemmed Khān bin is typical of mid-15th century Ottoman palace Murād Khān Abbada Saltanatahu workshops (naqqashkanah), and appears to draw influence from Timurid/Herati manuscripts of the (On the order of the treasury of the greatest Sultan, same period. The illumination, with the use of black the ruler of the Necks of Nations, the Father of the and bold colours as well as the open format in the Victorious, Sultan Mehmed Khan son of Murad Khan, arrangement and execution of design is very similar may his reign be Eternal) to the heading of an extraordinary Timurid Qur’an in the Khalili Collection (David James, After Timur, Oxford The illuminated medallion at the beginning of this 1992, no.5, pp. 28-33). manuscript contains the royal dedication above. A known bibliophile, the legacy of the Sultan’s love The Qajar lacquer binding is of superb quality and for books resulted in ninety surviving manuscripts bears the signature of the artist Lutf ‘Ali Shirazi and dedicated to him – a far greater number than are the date 1287 AH / 1870 AD. An additional note on the associated with any other Muslim imperial patron. back cover of the binding, just above the signature, Of these ninety, twenty are on philosophy and a states that the binding of the manuscript was renewed further five on logic. on the order of the above-mentioned Qajar Prince Muhammad Qasim Khan. The juxtaposition of the Artists signature and date on Ottoman art-historians Raby and Tanindi mention inscription against the floral background is truly the lacquer binding that Mehmed II’s bibliophilia was not a constant masterful. For mention of the artist Lutf ‘Ali Shirazi phenomenon and that changes in the intensity of his please see Muhammad Ali Karimzadah Tabrizi, The demand fits well with the periods when he rested from Lives and Art of Old Painters of Iran, London, 1990, pp. campaign and spent his time in cultural pursuits (Julian 561-568, also see Muhammad Ali Karimzadah Tabrizi, Raby and Zeren Tanindi, Turkish Bookbinding in the Qalamdan, London, 2000, p. 323. The manuscript eventually ended up in the possession of the Qajar royal family. We know this because of the extraordinary inscription on the later lacquered binding, stating that the binding of the manuscript was renewed in 1287 AH / 1870 AD, on the order of the Qajar Prince Muhammad Qasim Khan, son of Fulana Bagum, descendant of Fath Ali Shah (r. 1797-1834) (Please see Yilmaz Oztuna, Muslim Dynasties, 1996, p. 798). The extremely fine lacquered decoration of the binding indicates the importance given to the manuscript by its Qajar owner Muhammad Qasim Khan.

The exit stamp of Persian border control on the first page (fol. 1a), confirms that the manuscript left Iran in 1315 AH / 1897 AD. The inspection seal reads: “Taftīsh shud, 1315” (Inspected, 1897).

Provenance Sultan Mehmed II: Commissioned for the imperial Treasury of Sultan Mehmed II (r. 1451-1481), royal dedication in illuminated medallion on the first page: Bi rasm khizāna al-Sultān al-A‘zam Mālik Riqāb al-Umam Abū al-Muzaffar Sultān Mehemmed Khān bin Murād Khān Abbid Saltanatahu [On the order of the treasury of the greatest Sultan, the ruler of the Necks of Nations, the Father of the Victorious, Sultan Mehmed Khan son The imperial provenance of this manuscript does of Murad Khan, may his reign be Perpetuated] not end with Sultan Mehmed II. The last page of the manuscript bears the imperial seal of his son Bayazid II (r. Sultan Bayazid II (r. 1481-1512): His imperial seal is on 1481-1512). The imperial library was inventoried under the last page. Sultan Bayazid II, and a number of the manuscripts that bear his seal also have an inscription in the Bayazid’s Qajar Prince Muhammad Qasim Khan: A note on own hand, giving titles and subjects of the works. the lacquered binding states that the binding of the manuscript was renewed in 1287 AH / 1870 AD, on the The Imperial Seal of Sultan Bayazid II on the last page: order of the Qajar Prince Muhammad Qasim Khan, son of Fulana Bagum, descendant of Fath Ali Shah (r. 1797- ,Please see Yilmaz Oztuna, Muslim Dynasties) (1834 بايزيد بن محمد المظفر دائما “Bāyazid bin Mehmed al-Muzaffar Dāiman” 1996, p. 798). (Bayazid, son of Mehmed, the always victorious) The manuscript subsequently left Turkey, finding its Qajar royal collection, London. way to Persia, possibly as a royal or diplomatic gift, a common practise between muslim courts. Acquired by the current owner in 2014.

TTTTT

MASTERPIECE BY A WORLD-FAMOUS CALLIGRAPHER 17

‘PRAYERS FOR THE DAYS OF THE WEEK’ SIGNED BY YAHYA AL-SUFI, CIRCA 1340

Ilkhanid The present manuscript is a masterpiece of Islamic Circa 1340 calligraphy. Its calligrapher Yahya al-Sufi is a famous Dimensions 27 x 17.5 cm. master, celebrated for his unparalleled mastery in 17 Leaves naskh script. His style was emulated by generations of calligraphers including Ahmed Karahisari (d. 1556), Ottoman Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent’s court calligrapher.

The title on Fol. 1a in gold riqa‘ script reads: Kunūz al-Anām fī Ad‘iyyat al-Ayyām (Prayers for the Days of the Week). The lines under this title record that the prayers were passed on by the members of the family of the Prophet Muhammad.

The margins of each double-page of the manuscript are decorated with the ‘aks technique, with intertwined arabesques. The colour of the background and the decoration is different in every double page which creates a wonderful harmony.

The pages were margined and illustrated in the 16th century in the the Topkapi Palace workshops. A comparable example decorated with similar multi-colour double page margins is the Qasidat al-Burda, copied by Muhy al-Din al-Amasi, from the collection of Ekrem Hakki Ayverdi, published in his Fatih Devri Hattatlari, Istanbul Fetih Dernegi Yayinlari, Istanbul, 1953, p. 46-47. Sold by Sotheby’s Arts of the Islamic World, 3 October 2012, lot 56.

YAHYA AL-SUFI Yahya al-Sufi was one of the founding fathers of the refined six scripts of Islamic calligraphy, following Yaqut al-Musta‘simi. He was active in Shiraz in the 1340s. His name is recorded among the seven masters (Asātiza al-Sab‘a): the legandery Yaqut al-Musta‘simi (d. 1298) and his six best students.

In the Baysunghur Album in the Topkapi Palace Museum Library (inv. no. H. 2310), an extremely important album compiled for Timur’s grandson Baysunghur Mirza, Yahya al-Sufi is recorded as a direct pupil of Yaqut al-Musta‘simi. The album contains calligraphies signed by Yaqut and his famous six students, including Yahya al-Sufi. Other sources record him as a pupil of master Mubārakshāh bin Qutb (Zarrin Qalam), one of the seven masters.

Yahya al-Sufi worked for the Ilkhanid Amir Chuban Sulduz (d.1327?) and then moved to Shiraz where he served as the court calligrapher for the Injuid ruler Jamal al-Din Abu Ishaq (r. 1343-1357) and later of the Muzaffarid rulers. He transcribed several calligraphy specimens and dated 1344-45, part of which is currently in the Pārs manuscripts of the Qur’ān that range in date from Museum in Shiraz. 731/1330 to 746/1345. The earliest surviving Qur’ān manuscript by Yahya al-Sufi is dated 739 AH/1338-39 Yahya al-Sufi was celebrated for his mastery in AD and is preserved in the Museum of Turkish and composing monumental inscriptions for buildings. Islamic Arts in Istanbul (inv. no. K.430) Please see Martin Many monuments in Najaf and Shiraz bear epigraphic Ling’s Splendours of Qur’an Calligraphy & Illumination, inscriptions designed by him. One of these Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation, 2005, p. 64, no. 48. inscriptions comprises an eleven-line carved text, recording a visit to the site by the Injuid sultan Abu Yahya al-Sufi copied a Qur’ān, between the years Ishaq, in 748 AH / 1347 AD. This inscription is on the 1344-68, commissioned by Tashi Khatun, the mother entrance wall of the small stone palace at Persepolis of the Injuid sultan Abu Ishaq. He also worked on a built by the Achaemenid Darius the Great. He was also large, multi-volume Qur’ān in gold muhaqqaq script, responsible for the inscription in brick and glazed tile running around the upper part of the Bayt al-Masahif (Qur-ān manuscripts repository) in the old Mosque (Masjed-e-Atiq ) in Shiraz.

Provenance The Collection of Art Historian Ekrem Hakkı Ayverdi

Yahya al-Sufi’s colophon from a scroll fragment, The colophon of the manuscript Topkapi Palace Museum Library B. 411 Fol. 104a 18

RARE OTTOMAN CALLIGRAPHY [QIT‘A] SIGNED MEHMED SHEHRI

Ottoman Empire Calligraphy in ten lines of naskh, and one line of large thuluth, with gold First Half of the 18th Century rulings, mounted on marbled paper. Signed Mehmed Shehrī (d.1740) This superb work by Mehmed Shehrī is based on a calligraphy by the famous Dimensions: 16 x 22.5 cm Ottoman court master Sheikh Hamdullah (d. 1520).

This is an interesting example of the art of copying (naql) an early master’s work in Islamic calligraphy tradition, regarded as a sign of mastery among calligraphers. Works of great artists such as the Abbasid/Ilkhanid court calligrapher Yaqut al-Musta’simī (d. 1298) and the Ottoman court calligrapher Sheikh Hamdullah Efendi (d. 1520) were reproduced by many artists to prove their calligraphic skill and display their mastery.

Here, ‘Mehmed-i Shehrī’ (Mehmed of Istanbul [the nisba al-shahrī/shehrī was used by artists from Istanbul to indicate they were born in the Ottoman capital]) reproduced a work signed by Sheikh Hamdullah, now preserved in the Topkapi Palace Museum (inv. no. E.H. 2092), Istanbul, published in Muhiddin Serin’s Hattat Şeyh Hamdullah, Kubbealtı, Istanbul, 2007, p. 126.

When these two works are compared one can see that they are identical except for the last line which includes the signatures of Sheikh Hamdullah in the first and Mehmed Shehrī in the present calligraphy. The perfect execution of each nuance proves the mastery of Mehmed Shehrī in achieving the excellence of the prototype.

Unusually, in this work, Mehmed Shehrī didn’t use the expected classical phrase “nuqila min khatt Hamdullah al-ma‘ruf bi Ibn al-Shaikh…” (copied from the calligraphy of Sheikh Hamdullah). Calligraphy by Sheikh Hamdullah, Mehmed Shehri (d. 1740) Topkapi Palace Museum Mehmed Shehri, as indicated by his nisba “al-Shehri”, was born in Istanbul. He (inv. no. E.H. 2092) was also known as Usturacizade (razor-maker’s son). He studied thuluth and naskh scripts under the supervision of master Mehmed Giridi. According to Otttoman historian Mustakimzade Suleyman Saadeddin Efendi he was hard of hearing. He was a follower of the famous Hafiz Osman Efendi (d. 1698) and wrote in his style. He was a member of one of the sufi orders in Istanbul. He died at the age of thirty-three years in 1740. He was buried in the Taksim cemetery. Please see: Şevket Rado’s Türk Hattatları, Tifdruk Press, Istanbul, 1980, p. 141 for detailed information about Mehmed Shehri’s career. His work is rare, and there do not seem to be any published examples in the standard literature. SULTAN MEHMED II’S ACCESSION TO THE THRONE 19

IMPORTANT OTTOMAN MINIATURE DEPICTING SULTAN MEHMED II’S ACCESSION TO THE THRONE, SCHOOL OF NAKKASH OSMAN

Ottoman Empire The present miniature is from the workshop of Nakkash has thirty-seven miniatures. Another example of an School of Osman, the eponymous scriptorium that produced intended miniature from the Safavid world is found in Nakkash Osman illustrated manuscripts for the court. The work bears the Shah Tahmasp Album in the Istanbul University Second Half of the striking resemblance to miniatures from the renowned Library (inv no. F 1422) where a miniature intended 16th Century Hünername, a history of the Ottoman sultans (preserved for the Shah Tahmasp Shahnanama is preserved (fol. Dimensions: in the Topkapi Palace Museum Library, inv. no. H. 1523). 30a). Ottoman miniatures of this period and quality are 15.8 x 19.4 cm. extremely rare, especially when they can be attributed to The first section of theHünername was composed by a court master, Nakkash Osman, and a court manuscript Ottoman court historians Arifi and Eflatun. Later, Sultan such as the Hünername. Murad III’s court historian Seyyid Lokman completed the rest of the text. Ottoman Court Painter Nakkash Osman Nakkash Osman was the head of the Ottoman palace The illustrations of the Hünername were produced by workshops in the Topkapi Palace during the later half Nakkash Osman and his assistants. It was intended to be of the sixteenth century. His earliest works are datable prepared in four volumes but at the end only two volumes between 1560 and 1570. They were created for a Turkish were produced. The final version contains eighty-nine translation of the famous Shahnama, a Persian epic poem miniatures. The present miniature depicts the accession by Ferdowsi (d. 1020). Nakkash Osman and his workshop of Sultan Mehmed II (r. 1444-1446 / 1451-1481) in Edirne were responsible for illustrating chronicles produced which took place in 1451. The Sultan is enthroned in the by court historians including the Zafername (Book of centre. On both sides high ranking government officials Victories), the Şahname-i Selim Han (Sultan Selim’s Book take their place in accordance with court protocol. of Kings) and the Şehinşahname (King of Kings’ book) as well as the Hünername (History of the Ottoman sultans). The Sultan’s posture on his throne, the vizier kissing his feet, and the rendering of members of the audience, link Nakkash Osman and his workshop also worked on it incontrovertibly to its counterpart in the Hünername, the illustrators of the Siyer-i Nebi, a lavishly illustrated please see Nurhan Atasoy & Filiz Çağman’s (ed. Dr. Esin manuscript that was commissioned by Ottoman ruler Atil) Turkish Miniature Painting, Istanbul, 1974, pl. 23. Murad III (r. 1574–1595). This work which has been described as “the largest single cycle of religious painting The Ottoman Turkish inscription in naskh script on the in Islamic art” and “the most complete visual portrayal of top right corner of the miniature reads: the life of the prophet Muhammad”.

“… tāli’ olub Sultān Mehmed Hān hazretlerinin māh-i Nakkash Osman’s illustrative style is plain, yet perceptive. ta‘lat-i humāyūnu maşrık-i ikbālden lāmi‘ oldu”. His illustrations show careful attention to the most minute detail, depicting events in a realistic manner. Translation: Nobel Prize-winner Orhan Pamuk’s novel My Name “Sultan Mehmed Khan’s luminous and enlightened Is Red is a fictional account of Nakkash Osman and moon-like face became visible like the rising sun from his workshop. In the story, Osman blinds himself with the Orient of prosperity”. a needle, emulating the blindness of the legendary miniaturist Behzad. His demise represents the end of For a detailed discussion of the career of Nakkash Osman classical Ottoman miniature painting because after and works produced in his palace workshop please see, him Ottoman painter gradually followed a less local, Nurhan Atasoy & Filiz Çağman’s (ed. Dr. Esin Atil) Turkish Westernized style. Miniature Painting, Istanbul, 1974, pp. 45-48. Also see, Serpil Bağcı, Filiz Çağman, Günsel Renda, Zeren Tanındı’s A similar miniature depicting Sultan Selim I’s accession Osmanlı Resim Sanatı, 2006, pp. 116-131. to the throne, attributed to Nakkash Osman, was sold at Sotheby’s, London, for £43,750 (Arts of the Islamic World In court scriptoriums multiple copies of similar scenes Including Fine Rugs and Carpets, 1 May 2019, Lot: 61). were produced and presented to the patron for approval. This miniature was probably intended for the first Provenance volume of the Hünername, which contains lives of the Private European Collection first nine Ottoman sultans, including Mehmed II, and 20

OTTOMAN DECOUPAGE CALLIGRAPHY SIGNED “SULEYMAN”

Ottoman Empire Decoupage calligraphy cut out from white paper, pasted on Signed Suleyman salmon paper. Written in nasta‘liq and thuluth scripts. Dated 1282 AH / 1865 AD Dimensions: 55.5 x 42 cm. The calligraphy in the centre is a mirror-image composition in thuluth which reads ‘Māshāllāh’ (As God willed), the name of the Prophet ‘Muhammad’, and his grandson ‘Husayn’.

The four roundels surrounding the central composition are the names of the four righteous caliphs: ‘Abū-Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmān, ‘Ali’

The Turkish poem in nasta‘liq on the top reads: Ey mihr-i cihantāb-ı harīm-i ezeli Vey māh-ı münīr-i felek-i lemyezelī Pervāne gibi şem‘ine cem‘ oldu senin Būbekr ü Ömer Hazret-i Osman ü ‘Ali (Oh you [Muhammad]! the universe-illuminating sun, God’s eternal confidant, You! The bright moon of heavens of eternity, The following were attracted to the candle of your divine beauty like moths, Abū-Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman and ‘Ali)

The Turkish poem in nasta‘liq at the bottom reads: Muhibb-i çār-yārım öz vücudum sadrıdır sıddık Ömer’dir cismimin canı değil dersem olam zındık Söven Osman’a buğz ile adın almasun tevfik Yezid ibn Yezid olsun Ali’yi eyleyen tefrik (I am an admirer of the four righteous caliphs, Abū-Bakr is like my heart, ‘Umar is my soul, may I be an infidel if I deny, May those who curse Uthman be left without divine grace, ‘May those who leave ‘Ali out be inauspicious like Yazid ibn Yazid)

The only other known decoupage calligraphy by Suleyman is in the Khalili Collection, London, please see: Empire of the Sultans – Ottoman Art from the Collection of Nasser D. Khalili, The Nour Foundation, London, 1995, p. 266. ONE OF THE MOST PRIZED BOOKS OF VIEWS OF CONSTANTINOPLE 21

ANTOINE-IGNACE MELLING ‘VOYAGE PITTORESQUE DE CONSTANTINOPLE ET DES RIVES DU BOSPHORE’

Paris First edition, 2 vols, large folio (655 x 507mm.), Selim III and Hatice Sultan and later landscape Published by text with half-title, title with gold printed tughra painter to the Empress Josephine of France. His most Z. Treuttel et Würt and engraved frontispiece of Sultan Selim III, and influential work is published asVoyage pittoresque Date of Publication: 1819 list of plates at the end, atlas with 48 double-page de Constantinople et des rives du Bosphore. Dimension: 66 x 53 cm. engraved views by Duparc, Schroeder, Née, Dupréel, Dessaulx, Marillier and others after Melling, proof Melling was born in Karlsruhe, Baden, in 1763. After plates before letters, and 3 engraved maps and plans, the death of his sculptor father, he lived with his contemporary morocco-backed marbled boards, flat painter uncle, Joseph Melling, in Strassbourg (Alsace). spines gilt, rebacked preserving most of the original As a young man he visited his older brother, and spines, boards restored, a few text leaves browned, studied Architecture and Mathematics at Klagenfurt. some marginal water-staining, atlas with some At the age of 19, he went to Italy, Egypt, and marginal water-stains, otherwise a superb set with finally Constantinople as a member of the Russian bright, crisp plates. Ambassador’s retinue and household with the aim of drawing pictures for various dignitaries. He was ANTOINE-IGNACE MELLING (1763-1831) introduced to princess Hatice Sultan, sister and Antoine Ignace Melling (27 April 1763 – November confidant of the Ottoman Sultan Selim III. 1831) was a painter, architect and traveller who is counted among the “Levantine Artists”. He is famous At Hatice Sultan’s suggestion, Melling was employed for his views of Constantinople, a city where he as Imperial Architect by Selim III. In 1795 the princess lived for 18 years. He was imperial architect to Sultan commissioned Melling to design a labyrinth for her palace at Ortaköy in the style of the Danish ambassador Baron Hübsch’s garden. Delighted with the result, she asked Melling to redecorate the palace interior, and subsequently, a completely new neoclassical palace at the Defterdarburnu neighbourhood on the Bosphorus. He also designed clothes and jewellery for her.

Melling Pasha’s eighteen years as Imperial Architect gave him a privileged opportunity to observe the Ottoman Court. He made many detailed drawings of the Sultan’s palaces, Ottoman society, and views of Constantinople and its environs. He was rightly known as “the unrivalled painter of the Bosphorus”. As stated in an anonymous travelogue written in about 1817, “Sometimes these pictures contain an excessive amount of detail in an endeavour to reflect the reality but they depict the modern buildings and landscapes of this city, every view of which is attractive, in a manner more successful than that achieved in the most sensitive written descriptions.”

The Nobel Prize-winning Turkish novelist, Orhan Pamuk dedicates a whole chapter to Melling in his autobiographical memoir, Istanbul: Memories and the City. Pamuk claims that Melling “saw the city like a native but painted it like a Westerner”.

Melling’s subjects include important events such as the departure of the Hajj caravan from Uskudar to Mecca, and some of the earliest interior views of Istanbul, such as Intérieur d’une partie du Harem du Grand-Seigneur. After having completed various projects for Sultan Selim III, Melling returned to Paris in 1803. For detailed accounts please see: Atabey 799; Blackmer 1105; Brunet III, 1591; Lipperheide 1431; Weber I, 77.

Provenance Reputedly from the Library of a granddaughter of Sultan Abdulhamid II (1842-1918).

‘LAWRENCE OF ARABIA’ 22

CHARLES FREDERICK TUNNICLIFFE RA PORTRAIT OF ‘LAWRENCE OF ARABIA’

Portrait of Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888-1935) or ‘Lawrence and adopting their customs and their dress. His Captain T. E. Lawrence CB, of Arabia’ as he is better known, was a British depiction here in traditional Arabic dress therefore DSO (1888-1935) archaeological scholar, military strategist, and author. is symbolic of this original, effective and modern Signed ‘C Tunnicliffe’ One of the most captivating figures of the 20th approach. (lower right) century, Lawrence is remembered for his legendary Oil on Canvas war activities in the Middle East during World War I, Tunnicliffe and Lawrence had a mutual friend in Dimensions: 60.5 x 50.5 cm. and for his own account of these adventures in The Henry Williamson (1895-1977) and this is presumably c. 1927-34 Seven Pillars of Wisdom (1926). how they became acquainted. In 1927 Williamson published his critically acclaimed novel Tarka the Otter, Lawrence’s numerous accomplishments were quite which became the first of many of Williamson’s books extraordinary, and he became a mythic figure in his that Tunnicliffe was to illustrate. Williamson had served own lifetime, even before he published The Seven for the duration of the First World War and witnessing Pillars of Wisdom. More than a military leader and its horrors, came to believe like Lawrence, in the need inspirational force behind the Arab revolt against for a lasting peace settlement in Europe. Williamson the Turks, he was a superb tactician and a highly himself sat for Tunnicliffe in June 1934, suggesting a influential theoretician of guerrilla warfare. Besides similar date therefore for the present painting. The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, his sharply etched service chronicle, The Mint, and his mannered prose translation of the Odyssey added to a literary Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe RA reputation further substantiated by an immense Tunnicliffe had studied at the Royal College of Art correspondence that establishes him as one of the during the 1920s where his tutors included the major letter writers of his generation. renowned portraitist Sir William Rothenstein and wood-engraver Paul Nash. He was part of a ‘golden This previously unknown portrait of Lawrence captures age’ of British art schooling at the RCA with fellow a sincere likeness of a genius, which is at once both students including the painters Eric Ravilious (with intimate and immediate, highlighting his humility in whom he shared lodgings during their studies), the face of fame. Indeed, part of the character that so Edward Bawden and Edward Burra, and the sculptors, intrigued the public was Lawrence’s ability to deny Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. The wonderful himself recognition for his achievements, preferring colour range and style of this arresting portrait of to shy away from the limelight. This reached a Lawrence is symptomatic of the prevailing currents culmination in 1923 when he took the name T E Shaw, in figurative art of the period and the artistic milieu in an attempt to avoid publicity and anonymously join within which Tunnicliffe found himself at this time. the Royal Tanks Corps.

Lawrence is depicted by Tunnicliffe in traditional Arab dress – the style with which he became synonymous. As well as his military prowess, Lawrence is also remembered for his great diplomacy, mostly for the relationship he was able to build with Emir Feisal, a son of Sherif Hussein of Mecca and an important commander. It was because of this relationship that Lawrence was able to exert influence on both Feisal and Abdullah I, to support Britain during the Arab Revolts against the Ottoman Empire. Key to this diplomatic strategy, and to the friendship, was Lawrence’s willingness to adapt to Arabic culture – including speaking their language, living with them, 23

HARALD JERICHAU THE MARKET BEHIND THE ‘YENI CAMI’ AT EMINONU, ISTANBUL

Signed ‘H. Jerichau’ This exquisite painting, painted in a realistic manner, Oil on Canvas depicts the vibrant and colourful market place located Dimensions 26 x 39 cm. just behind the Yeni Cami (New Mosque) in the Eminönü district of Istanbul, built between 1660-1665.

It belongs to a small group of Turkish scenes which were executed by Jerichau on the commission of the Danish industrialist, J.C. Jacobsen (1811–1887).

Harald Jerichau (d. 1878) Jerichau was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was from a family of artists. His father was the sculptor, Jens Adolf Jerichau (1816–1883) and his mother was the painter, Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann (1819–1881). His brother, Holger H. Jerichau (1861–1900), also became a painter.

He received his first formal drawing lessons from the architect Christian Vilhelm Nielsen (1833–1910), then studied perspective at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1868. Later, he received lessons from Frederik Christian Lund (1826–1901) and Eiler Rasmussen Eilersen (1827–1912). Jerichau first exhibited in Copenhagen in 1873.

This was followed by a trip to Italy with his mother. In Rome, he was a pupil of Jean-Achille Benouville (1815-1891), who at that time, was director of the French Academy. After six months there, he made a study trip to Turkey and Greece, spent some time in Paris visited Switzerland and, in 1874, returned to Istanbul with his mother. During this time, he continued to exhibit in Copenhagen.

Jerichau died in 1878. He was buried in Rome at the Protestant Cemetery, Cimitero Acattolico. His mother completed a remembrance, Til erindring om Harald Jerichau, which was first published during 1879. In 1879, a small exhibition of his works was held in Copenhagen, featuring scenes painted in Turkey that had been commissioned by the brewer, J.C. Jacobsen (1811–1887).

Provenance Richard Böhrs, Hamburg (Gallery label at the back of the frame). Private German Collection from Lower Saxony since 1980s

24

POLISH AMBASSADOR STANISLAS TARNOWSKI’S VISIT TO THE TOPKAPI PALACE

Watercolour Following the dethronement of King August II in 1704, Stanisław Dated ‘13 August 1707’ Leszczyński, also known as King Stanislaus I, was elected as the new Painter travelling with king of Poland. With Russian support, King August was interfering Polish Ambassador with the affairs of state. To get the support of the Ottomans, who Stanislas Tarnowski had established peace in the North for a long time, King Stanislaus I Inscription: Written by sent his ambassador Stanislaw Tarnowski to Istanbul. Joseph d’Alexandre Polish Ambassador Stanislas This painting documents Stanislaw Tarnowski’s visit to Istanbul. Tarnowski’s interpreter, It shows Ambassador Tarnowski in the chamber of Reis Effendi identifying the figures. (Reisülküttab tr.) in the Topkapı Palace together with Ottoman Dimensions: 42 x 36.5 cm. minister of foreign affairs Acem Bekir Efendi.

The following lines, at the bottom, written by Joseph d’Alexandre, the Polish interpreter, on 13 August 1707, identify the individuals as:

La chambre de Reis Efendi 1- Reis Efendi, Grand Chancelier, ministre des affaires etrangeres 2- Premier interprete d’in ministre etranger presantant un memoir 3-Hagioghian du premier rand au chef d’un bureau 4- …… de la milice lieutenant du janissaire A 5- Un officier ….. de la porte …. Ces 3 personnages sont en visite 6- un page tenant une scoupe contenant de la …messe avec une cauvelier couvert d’un etoffe brodee 7- un page tenant le sherbet ou boisso 8- un laquais ou un silahandar tenant les mains croisees pres de la porte de la chambre. Presente a Monsieur le comte Stanislas Tarnowski pendant son sejour a Constantinople le 13 Aout 1707 par son tres humble serviteur Joseph d’Alexandre intreprete de Pologne.

1. Reis Effendi: Acem Bekir Efendi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, 2. Primary Interpreter of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief of staff, 3. The head of the office Hagiogian, 4. Lieutenant Janissary, 5. An Officer of the Sublime Port, 6. A Page from the palace, 7. A Page serving sherbet, 8. A Silahdar (Sultan’s sword-bearer).

Stanislaw Tarnowski returned to Poland with the good news that promised the Ottoman support (Ziya Aksun, Ottoman History, Vol: II, Ötüken, 1994, pp. 307-308.).

This a rare, historic document depicting the visit of the Polish Ambassador Stanislas Tarnowski to the Ottoman minister of foreign affairs, Acem Bekir Efendi, in the Topkapi Palace, in 13 August 1707. It was painted in situ, by the Ambassador’s painter, and records this important diplomatic event in meticulous detail.

Published “Ottoman Pipes for Peace?”, Cornucopia, Issue 58, 2018, p. 5 25

RUDOLF ERNST ‘THE FAVOURITE’

Signed ‘R. Ernst’ This painting, titled ‘the in Paris. In the early stages of his career he mostly Oil on Board 46.5 x 37.5 cm. Favourite’ is one of Ernst’s worked on portraits and genre scenes, turning later to finest Harem works. It depicts the Orientalist subjects. head of the Harem on a large carpet, wearing a silk robe and a He was celebrated for painting with great skill and velvet vest, holding a silk cloth in her extraordinary precision. In the first stages of his right hand. She is admiring herself in a round professional life, he was supported by the famous mirror, held by a servant. On her right is French art dealer Adolphe Goupil, the painter Gerome’s a monumental Nasrid ‘Alhambra’ vase, a father in law. Goupil provided private commissions from mother-of-pearl inlaid calligrapher’s chest the United States for Ernst and helped him to develop with a pink silk cover. an international reputation.

The wall in the background is In 1880 he visited Constantinople. In 1883 he met decorated with Nasrid mosaics Osman Hamdy Bey, a student of Gerome. He achieved and Iznik tiles, wooden niches inlaid great success during his stay in the Ottoman capital. with mother-of-pearl. There is a tombak dish In 1889 he exhibited at Salon des Artistes Français the decorated with Soliman’s star (mühr-i Süleyman) following works: ‘A Guardian in Cairo’, ‘Portrait of M.C.B.’, in the right niche. Just under the niches is a sofa, with ‘Imperial Guards of the Ottoman Palace’. two silk-covered cushions. With this meticulous details Ernst creates a perfect interior, reflecting the glamour of In the same year he won the bronze medal at the the palatial interior with warmth and vitality. Exposition Universale in Paris. His portrait of Agop Pasha was included in the German biographical dictionary of The viewer may follow the unmistakable upward artists Thieme-Becker. He painted portraits of members movement rising from the servant’s level to the Favourite of the Ottoman court. Following his return to France in and then reaching the zenith with the flowers in the 1905 he left his old workshop and moved to Fontenay- ‘Alhambra’ vase. The calm order in the background and aux-Roses. the upward movement in the front create a pleasant contrast and enhance the liveliness of the composition. Rudolf Ernst is famed as a master painter of the Orientalist movement, focused on painting scenes he RUDOLF ERNST (1854-1932) had memorized or photographed during his voyages. Born in Vienna on 14 February 1854, Rudolf Ernst is one Aside from photographs and sketches from his travels, of the leading painters of the Orientalist movement. He he gathered a large collection of ceramics, tiles, fabrics, was first inspired by his father who was an architect and carpets, daggers and other weapons. He died in 1932. an esteemed member of the Vienna Fine Arts Academy. His paintings are preserved in French museums and Ernst enrolled as a student of the Academy in 1869. international museums, foundations and private Between 1873 and 1876 he studied history of painting collections around the world. For a detailed account under the supervision of Anselm Feuerbach. on his carrier and illustrated works please see: Martina Haja & Gunter Wimmer’s Les Orientalistes des Ecoles In 1875 he received the special prize from the Academy. Allemande et Autrichienne, ACR Edition, Paris, 2000, In the last year of his study he applied for a scholarship pp. 226-252. to visit Rome. He went to Paris and studied with Ludwig Deutch and Johann Discart. In Paris he befriended Provenance painters including Charles Wilda, Arthur Ferraris, Raphael Private French Collection – Given by the Artist to the Ambros and Rudolf Weiss. Grandparents of the Owner Art Curial Paris Marrakesh: Majorelle et ses He moved to Paris and opened his workshop in Rue de Contemporains 30 December 2018, lot 38. Naval. He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français 26

CHARLES WILDA ‘THE COFFEE-HOUSE’

Signed and Dated In the present work, Charles Wilda depicts the coffee-drinkers concentrating on the ‘C. H. Wilda 1888’ game being played out in the centre of the composition, with various narratives, (lower right) including the pouring of drink and smoking, to bring movement to the scene. Oil on Panel. 44 x 55 cm. CHARLES WILDA (1854-1907) Charles Wilda was born in Vienna on 20 December 1854. His born first name was Carl but in time he changed it to Charles. His father owned a coffee-shop in Vienna. His brother Gottfield also became a painter. At the beginning of his career Wilda became a pupil of the celebrated Orientalist painter Léopold Carl Müller. Like many great Orientalist painters including Ludwig Deutsch, Wilda trained at the Wiener Akademie der Bildenen Künste. His studies were interrupted between 1869-1875. In 1876 he attended the class of Eduard Engerth. The following year he studied under the supervision of August Eisenmenger, and Leopold Carl Müller, October 1878 onwards. Carl Müller encouraged Wilda to travel to Egypt, whilst imparting the techniques of fine academic painting. At the beginning of his career he attracted attention by his paintings in genre style. He was celebrated for the way he treated light in his paintings but first and foremost he was a master colourist.

In 1883 and 1884, he exhibited in Paris his paintings named “the Dancer” and “the Souvenir-Seller”, both in the Najd collection. After 1880 interest in the Middle-East increased and he decided to visit Egypt. Wilda established a studio in Cairo and in Paris with his friend Arthur von Ferraris in the 1880s, when the present picture was painted. He sent some of his Orientalist paintings to the Künstlerhause of Vienna of which he had been a member since 1886. In 1887 he exhibited in Paris his painting called “Street in Cairo”.

He established his Paris workshop in Boulevard de Clichy with his friend Arthur Ferraris. He received the Kaiser Prize in 1895 for his painting called “Arab Story-teller”. It was with this work that he was nominated the leading Orientalist painter in Vienna. Wilda exhibited his Orientalist paintings in Vienna, Munich and Paris. He participated in the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900 where he was awarded a bronze medal. He executed his famous Lavenders on the shore of the Nile in this period. In 1901 he abandoned the artistic circle in Vienna due to economic recession and he returned in 1904. He decorated the Municipal Palace in Vienna following its construction in 1899. He received the state gold medal for his painting Princess Turandot inspired by Puccini’s opera. He also received the Archduke Carl-Ludwig prize for his painting Guliver bei den Riesen. On 11 June 1907 he was attacked and died unexpectedly. For a detailed account on his works and illustrated works please Ibid, 2000, pp. 354-359.

A similar coffee-house scene by Wilda is published in Martina Haja & Gunter Wimmer’s Les Orientalistes des Ecoles Allemande et Autrichienne, ACR Edition, Paris, 2000, p. 355.

GOLD TUGHRA OF MAHMUD II 27

ILLUMINATED TUGHRA OF SULTAN MAHMUD II (R. 1808-1839)

Ottoman Empire Oval, with opaque pigments and gold on dark blue paper, signed Signed: Hafiz Mehmed along the lower right edge, framed and glazed. Khulusi Period of Sultan Mahmud II This tughra belongs to a small group of stand-alone tughras which (r. 1808-1839) were favoured by the Ottoman elite in the second half of the 18th Dimensions: 38 x 46.5 cm. and 19th century. They were regarded both as signs of the state and as works of art in their own right.

The tughra is the royal monogram of the Ottoman sultans and usually includes the titles and the name of the monarch, his father’s name and prayers. The Seljuqs, Mamluks and other Muslim dynasties also used tughras, but there was not an artistic tradition based on these as there was in the Ottoman Empire.

Until the 18th century tughras were mainly used on coins, firmans, edicts, stamps and epigraphic inscriptions. Very few were designed individually and framed until Sultan Ahmed III (r.1703-1730) who himself was a professional calligrapher and a tughra-designer. During and following the reign of Sultan Ahmed III, calligrapher members of the palace circle designed tughras of the future sultans which were framed and hung on the walls to decorate Ottoman aristocratic interiors.

Calligrapher’s signature A comparable tughra of Sultan Mahmud II is in the Khalili Collection in London. Please see Empire of the Sultans – Ottoman Art from the Collection of Nasser D. Khalili, London, 1995, p. 250, fig. 175. A similar, individually presented tughra of Sultan Mahmud I (r. 1730- 1754) from the Traditional Turkish Calligraphy Foundation Museum in Istanbul is published in Miras – Heritage – A Collection from Traditional Turkish Calligraphy Foundation Museum, Istanbul, 2010, p. 79. 28

OTTOMAN TOPHANE COFFEE SET

Ottoman Empire Comprising two coffee-pots, sugar bowl, six cups and Reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II saucers. The coffee-pots of baluster form, each with a (r. 1876-1909) pedestal foot, inverted conical lid, and curved sprout Seal with Artist’s name on ending with globular terminal. two coffee-pots, six cups and six saucers: “Constple – Hagi Tophane-wares were produced at the eponymous Memet - Hikmeti”. district on the European shores of the Bosporus Seal with Artist Name and from burnished clay with impressed designs and Date on Sugar Bowl: gilt highlights. “Ibrahim Efendi, (12)95 AH / 1877 AD” There were about sixty workshops on the Lüleci Two coffee-pots and Hendek street in Tophane. The industry, which six cups sealed with the originally specialized in the production of bowls for pseudo-tughra of Sultan tobacco pipes and water-pipes, disappeared in late Abdulhamid II (r. 1876-1909) 19th-early 20th century. As the market for these pipes dried up in the face of competition from cigarettes, the Heights: Tophane craftsmen branched out into other objects Coffee Pot large 19 cm. such as this coffee set. Later, the old masters passed Coffee Pot small 13.5 cm. away with the secrets of this craft without revealing Sugar Bowl 10 cm. them to anyone. Moreover, there was no one left who Cup 4.5 cm. knew the source of the Gülbahar clay used for the slip Saucer Diameter 8.8 cm. and brought from the vicinity of Lake Van.

For a coffee-pot of similar form also with a ring-foot, and this type of decoration, please see Erdinç Bakla’s Tophane Lüleciliği, Antik A.S., Istanbul, 2007, P3-20, p. 223. For the makers Hikmeti and Ibrahim Usta please see Erdinç Bakla’s Tophane Lüleciliği, Antik A.S., maker’s mark Istanbul, 2007, pp. 303, 318-319.

29

PAIR OF OTTOMAN FLINTLOCK PISTOLS WITH PARCEL-GILT SILVER MOUNTS IN GREEN VELVET HOLSTERS, EN SUITE SADDLE COVER

Ottoman Empire A pair of Ottoman flintlock parcel-gilt mounted Circa 1800 pistols. The long tapered steel barrels encased at the Pistol length: 52.5 cm. muzzle, stocks decorated throughout with repousse Horse Cover: 54 x 43 cm. gilt-silver, finely chiselled and chased with dense floral and scroll-designs, silver wire grips. The holsters and the saddle cover embroidered in gilt metal thread with floral motifs on a green velvet ground.

A comparable velvet saddle cover in the Benaki Museum, Athens, is published in David Alexander’s Furusiya, King Abdulaziz Public Library, vol: II, p. 173. An almost identical pair of pistols believed to have been owned by Captain Henry Digby (commander of the HMS Africa at the battle of the Nile, 1798) is illustrated in R. Elgood, The Arms of Greece and her Balkan Neighbours in the Ottoman Period, London, 2009, pp.190-1, nos. 246 and 247.

ALI AGHA’S YATAGHAN 30

YATAGHAN MADE FOR OTTOMAN GENERAL ALI AGHA (D. 1823), HEAD OF THE JANISSARIES

Ottoman Empire Gold damascened steel blade, walrus-ivory hilt, in its original leather Your Axe and sword puncture your enemy’s chest. The blade with the maker’s signature in gold: ‘Amal-i Mahmud Dated 1232 AH / 1816 AD covered scabbard with silver mounts. The poem in gold in naskh script, I am drunk with enthusiasm and I drink my enemy’s [Work of Mahmud]. Signed ‘Amal-i Mahmud in cartouches, on one side of the blade: blood. Under the maker’s signature is a Turkish couplet: [Work of Mahmud] Oh enemy, stay away from my beloved or I shall Length: 72.5 cm. “Bıçağ-i dilşikaf düşmen-i din bedaned decapitate you. “Go¨rünce tahsin eder cümle akranı Sahibi Ali Ağa Rahu ayanı” Suvarmış anı ab-i merk ile a‘da içün üstad I am scared of no one since I have this sword on Go¨rür düşman bakınca kendüyü kan içre dil berbad my belt. When Ali Agha’s companions see this sword, they admire it Gılafında iken bir şuh-i beled ari gibi nazik” As long as I grip this sword I overcome any obstacles. Its owner is Ali Agha from Rahu. From this highly polished and glamorous sword This sword is to harm the infidel, The master made it to kill the enemy. drips blood. The yataghan is in its original scabbard covered with leather, The enemy will see his reflection in his own blood, It is no surprise that this sword finishes off its enemies! also decorated with an anchor, the sign of Ali Agha’s When the sword is in its scabbard, it is elegant like a town beauty. battalion (orta). Maker’s signature, Ali Agha’s The poem contains political statements. Ali Agha The poem on the other side, in naskh script, in gold, in cartouches reads: name and the date was head of the janissaries, the fourth highest rank in The blade is signed ‘Amal-i Mahmud [Work of Mahmud]. the Ottoman hierarchy (after the sultan, the grand- This might be Mahmud b. Mas‘ud the swordsmith who signed “Ey go¨nül bir can içün her cane minnet eyleme vizier and the grand-mufti). Mention of allegiance a kinjal now in the Oruzheynaya Palata, the armoury chamber Işret-i dünya içün sultana minnet eyleme to a prince [emir-i muteber] is probably a reference at the Kremlin, in Moscow (L. A. Mayer, Islamic Armourers and Yaklaşma yanıma seyf-i siyasetimle yanarsın to one of the princes, which the janissary army Their Work, Albert Kundig, Geneva, 1962, p. 51). A similar Zahmını go¨rdükde cerrahı mumla ararsın might have been backing against the palace. From Ottoman Yataghan, dated 1808, from the Topkapi Palace Devletin payende olsun ey emir-i muteber the mid-17th century onwards Ottoman sultans did Museum (inv. no. 1/2871) is published in Sultan III. Selim Han, Düşmenin bağrını delsin daima bu tiğ-teber not lead the army and for this reason the janissary Istanbul, 2009, p. 148. Âşıkım serden geçerim, rakibin kanın içerim agha commanded the army. Because of this the Ayrı dur rakip yârimden seni yekten biçerim janissary agha was in a position to influence Ottoman Janissary Commander Ali Agha (d. 1823) Kimseden pervam yoktur çün silahım beldedir succession to the throne together with the grand- Ali Agha was the commander of the Ottoman army (janissaries) Go¨züme dağlar go¨rünmez çün bıçağım eldedir mufti, sometimes with the help of the Sultan’s mother between December 1817 and March 1823. He was in charge Kabzasından kan damlar, gayet mücella, tabnâk [Valide Sultan] the head of the Harem. of the janissaries, the body responsible for military affairs and inspection of Istanbul’s security and public order. He Şüphe yok bir darb ile a‘dasın eylerse helâk”. The anchor symbol of Ali’s Agha’s On the blade, in gold is an anchor, the heraldic janissary sign of attended the imperial council (divan-ı hümayun) meetings Oh my heart, don’t think of your own well-being, battalion Ali Agha’s battalion (yeniçeri remzi). Next to the anchor sign is the regularly in the Topkapi Palace. He was one of the last janissary Never mind what the Sultan says and ignore what he has to offer” letter ‘k’ and the number “31” which tells us that Ali Aga was the commanders since the janissary army was abolished by Sultan Don’t dare approach me. You will burn with my sword of execution. 31st commander of the battalion. Mahmud II (r.1808-1839) in 1826. He died in 1823. When you look at your wound you will be desperately looking for a surgeon. Oh revered prince, may your reign be eternal, 31

OTTOMAN GOLD-DAMASCENED STEEL CALLIGRAPHER’S SCISSORS WITH LOCK

Ottoman Empire The blades profusely damascened in gold, the Signed: ‘Sheref’ concave inner blades with a cypress tree containing Dated: 1277 AH (1860 AD) floral motifs. A minute drop-shaped cartouche Length: 24.8 cm. containing the signature of the maker ‘Sheref’, and the date 1277 AH (1860 AD). The outer blades decorated with intricate floral motifs.

The handles surmounted by an open-work mirrored inscription in thuluth script giving one of the ninety-nine names of God (al-Asmā al-Husnā), “Ya Fattāh” (Oh [God] the Opener!) in Arabic.

The important feature of this pair of scissors is the lock embedded on one side, allowing the user to lock and unlock it. It hasn’t been possible to find another pair with this unique characteristic.

For a pair of scissors with similar decoration, although without the lock, in the Turkish and Islamic Art Museum, Istanbul, please see Filiz Çağman & Şule Aksoy, Osmanlı Sanatında Hat, Istanbul, 1998, p. 32.

For a discussion on this subject by the late Oliver Hoare, please see The Calligraphers’ Craft, Summer Exhibition, 1-27 June 1987, Ahuan Gallery of Islamic Art, and op cit p.10 for illustration of scissors of this type.

Mirror image ‘Ya Fattah’calligraphy comparison for the scissor handles RARE OTTOMAN INCENSE-BURNER 32

EARLY OTTOMAN GILT-COPPER (TOMBAK) INCENSE-BURNER

Ottoman Empire Gilt-copper, with hemispherical body and pedestal Only a handful of this type of incense-burner are Circa 1600 foot, curved handle and hinged, domed lid decorated known. Foremost is an example from the collection of Height: 21 cm. with stylised palmettes and arabesques in open work the late Dr Zia Sofu (1918-1994), a descendent of Ali technique, surmounted by a round finial. Pasha of Ioannina (d.1822), renowned collector and connoisseur of Ottoman silver and tombak, published Incense-burners were used at ceremonial events and in Tulips, Arabesques and Turbans – Decorative religious gatherings. Incense was believed to purify the Arts from the Ottoman Empire, London, (ed. Yanni air and have protective powers against the evil eye. Petsopoulos),1982, pl. 50, sold at Sotheby’s Arts of the Islamic World, 13 April 2000, lot 98, for £135,500 Tombak, the technique whereby a gilt and mercury (Fig. 1), and a second example also sold at Sotheby’s amalgam is applied to copper, and burnt off, leaving Arts of the Islamic World, 8 October 2008, lot 265, for gold fused to the substrate, was prized in Ottoman £51,650 (Fig. 2). Fig. 1: Sotheby’s Arts of the times. Islamic World, 13 April 2000, lot 98 Another tombak incense-burner in the Topkapi According to teachings [hadith] of Prophet Palace Museum (inv. no. 16/1564), has a poem about Muhammad the use of gold in daily objects incense engraved on the lid which reads “misk u anber represented extravagance and wastefulness. dimağa gider” implying the beneficial effect of musk For this reason tombak was regarded as a and ambergris on the mind, please see The Anatolian legitimate alternative to gold. Civilisations: Seljuk/Ottoman, exhibition catalogue Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul, 1983, p. 258, One of the key aspects of Ottoman metalwork E. 261 (Fig. 3). is its sculptural form. Prime examples are monumental, often plain tombak candlesticks, A silver incense burner of almost identical form, dated originally placed either side of the mihrab in in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts (inv. no. 16) imperial mosques of the 16th and 17th century, in Istanbul which bears the name “Sultan Mehmed please see J. M. Roger’s Empire of the Sultans: Khan” (Mehmed III) in thuluth script indicating that it Ottoman art from the collection of Nasser D. was owned by the sultan, confirmed by the fact that Khalili, 1995, no. 7, pp. 38-39. it was found in Mehmed III’s mausoleum please see The Anatolian Civilisations: Seljuk/Ottoman, exhibition The present incense-burner follows this catalogue Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul, 1983, sculptural aesthetic. The handle acts as a p. 258, E. 260. supporting foot, and facilitates the incense- burner to be carried around during ceremonies Furthermore a tombak ewer and basin in the Topkapi and the incense to be spread around the room. Palace Museum in Istanbul, with openwork arabesque medallions on the sides, virtually identical to the The form of the incense-burner stretches present piece, is inscribed with the name of the Valide back to late antiquity, early Islamic period. Sultan, the mother of Sultan Mehmed IV (r. 1648-1687), For an example of one of these in the David please see Tulay Gungen et al, Tombak, Golden Grace, Collection, Copenhagen, and a discussion Yapi Kredi Publications, Istanbul, 2018, p. 67. of the origin of the form, please see Joachim Meyer’s Sensual Delights: Incense Burners and Rosewater Sprinklers from the World of Islam, The David Collection, Copenhagen, 2015, fig. 6, and pp. 28-29.

Fig. 3: Topkapi Palace Museum (inv. no. E. 261), After The Anatolian Civilisations: Seljuk/Ottoman, Istanbul, 1983, p. 258

Fig. 2: Sotheby’s Arts of the Islamic World, 8 October, 2008, lot 9265 33

MONUMENTAL OTTOMAN CAST BRASS CANDLESTICK

Ottoman Empire The base of splayed truncated conical from, Dated ‘1155 AH’ tall neck with six globular bulbs, the cylindrical (1742-43 AD) socket encircled by a raised rib with a shaft of Height: 102 cm. ridged baluster form, incised with an elegant Diameter: 34.5 cm. inscription in tughra form and dated.

Inscription: Candlesticks of this size are traditionally Sahib-al khayrat Musli displayed flanking the mainmirhab within the Pasha-zadeh Salih Bey, prayer hall of a mosque. sana 1155 ‘The benefactor, Salih Bey, This type of candlestick can be traced to the the son of Musli Pasha, early Islamic period. For an Aqqoyunlu example endowed this [in] the year in the David Collection, Copenhagen, please see 1155 AH/1742 AD’. Kjeld von Folsach’s Art from the World of Islam in the David Collection, Copenhagen, 2001, p. 327, no. 525.

For a mid-16th century Ottoman candlestick of similar form and dimension from the Khalili Collection, London, please see Empire of the Sultans: Ottoman Art from the Collection of Nasser D. Khalili, London, 1995, p. 36, no. 5.

Provenance Private UK Collection 34

EARLY OTTOMAN BRASS CANDLESTICK

Ottoman Empire With truncated conical body flanged at the base. Circa 1500 The baluster shaft with globular openwork section in Height: 22 cm. the middle. All engraved with palmettes, arabesques and cable bands on a ring punched ground.

This candlestick belongs to a small group of early Ottoman metalwork. It’s decoration displays the so-called “Baba Nakkash” aesthetic which can also be observed in Iznik.

The decorative repertoire used on the candlestick display the richness and mastery of the craftsmanship during the reign of Sultan Bayazid II (r. 1481-1512). Similar decoration can be found on bindings, ceramics and woodwork from this period.

A comparable candlestick in similar form, with incised decoration in the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no. 411f 1880 / 91.1.586), London, is published in Julian Raby & James Allan, “Le Metal”, L’Art Decoratif Ottoman: Tulipes, Arabesques et Turbans, Denoel, 1982, (pp. 17-73) p. 38. For another example in the Freer Gallery of Art (inv. no. 80.19), please see Esin Atil et al, Islamic Metalwork in the Freer Gallery of Art, 1985, p. 191. 35

FINE VENETO-SARACENIC BRASS BUCKET

Venice or the Middle East The body is decorated overall with an Circa 1600 intricate arabesque design. The handle in Heigth: 14.3 cm. the form of serpent’s heads on either side Diameter: 28.3 cm. holding the central section in their mouths.

Scholarly debate over the group of metalwork known as “Veneto-Saracenic” wares has seen them being attributed to both Venice and the Middle East. A number Veneto-Saracenic works are signed by the artist Mahmud al-Kurdi (Mahmud the Kurd) adding intrigue to the question.

Mahmud al-Kurdi presents a particularly interesting and enigmatic figure in this debate, his signature appearing both in Arabic (or Persian) and transliterated Roman script. Although a small number of signed works are securely attributed to the master himself, there remain many more works which could possibly be ascribed to him.

The bucket in hand belongs to a group of rare, Veneto-saracenic metalwork which are very finely executed, manifesting plural influences and speaks of the extensive trade network between Renaissance Europe and the Islamic worlds during the 16th century.

For further discussion on Veneto-saracenic pieces please see; S. Auld, Renaissance Venice, Islam and Mahmud the Kurd: A metalworking enigma, London, 2004.

For a charger with similar decoration in the Bargello Museum in Florence please see Marco Spallanzani’s Metalli Islamici a Firenze nel Rinascimento, Florence, 2010, p. 160, no. 45.

Provenance Michael Dunn, New York. The Longridge Collection (acquired from the above). Christie’s ‘Syd Levethan: The Longridge Collection’ 10-11 June 2010, Lot 1058 MASTERPIECE OF SAFAVID METALWORK 36

MONUMENTAL SAFAVID ENGRAVED BRASS TORCH-STAND

Persia Of faceted columnar form on flaring foot with upper cylindrical band, Circa 1560 the main band with very elegant interlaced arabesques and flowering Height: 47 cm. vine around a meandering cusped band of poetry in elegant nasta’liq script, a similar band of nasta’liq around the mouth between meandering Later date: vine and arabesque bands, multiple interlaced arabesque and linked 18 January 1578 palmette bands around the foot, all on a cross-hatched ground filled (Recorded in Armenian with black composition. inscription incised around the rim) Poems Two texts have been written on the torch-stand. The first, located on the Owner’s name: Marut’s upper part in nasta’liq script, is a poem consisting of four lines, from poet son Matheos (Recorded Katebi Torshizi (Please see: Assadullah Souren Melikian-Chirvani, Victoria in Armenian inscription and Albert Museum Catalogue – Islamic Metalwork from the Iranian incised around the rim) World – 8th-18th Centuries, London, 1982, p. 315):

بش� که ماه رخت شد چراغ خلوت ما گداخت شمع نیاورد تاب صحبت ما دمی که از رخ چون مه نقاب نبرفک� بود بر امدن افتاب دولت ما

“On the night when your moon-like face became the light of our solitude The candle melted down, unable to bear our companionship. The moment you tear off the mask from your moon-like face, There rises the sun of our good fortune.”

The second poem, located in the middle zigzag band around the body and the base, is from poet Ahli Torshizi (Please see: Assadullah Souren Melikian- Chirvani, Victoria and Albert Museum Catalogue – Islamic Metalwork from the Iranian World – 8th-18th Centuries, London, 1982, p. 327): چراغ اهل دل را روشن از روی تو می بینم همه صاحبدالن را روی دل سوی تو می بینم تو ای مقصود عالم کم مبادا از رست یمو� که عالم را طفیل یک موی رس تو می بینم

“The lamp of those who have heart, I see, is brightened by your face I see, all those who have a soul turn towards you You, O purpose of the World’s existence (Prophet Muhammad), may not one hair fall from your head, For I see the whole World equal to a thread of a single hair from your head.”

A comparable but smaller Safavid brass torch stand with similar decorative layout with arabesques and bands of the same poem around the neck and base in sharp nasta’liq, is in the Hermitage Museum, in St. Petersburg. Please see: Mikhail Piotrovsky’s On Islamic Art – The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, 2001, p. 32. Comparison should also be borne with an example from the Wildenstein Collection, sold by Christie’s 14-15 December 2005, lot: 381.

This is a truly rare and remarkable example of Safavid metalwork. It is the largest recorded Safavid torch-stand, surpassing all its published counterparts in major museums.

Provenance Private German Collection EXQUISITE ‘TULIP PERIOD’ COFFEE-POT 37

FINE OTTOMAN TOMBAK COFFEE-POT WITH REPOUSSÉ FLOWERS

Ottoman Empire Gilt-copper, with bulbous body and pointed spout, ‘Selected Poems’ (Mecmua-i Gazeliyyat), in the Istanbul 18th Century acanthus scroll handle and hinged, domed lid University Library, (inv. no. T. 5650), please see: Gülnur Height: 15 cm. surmounted by a baluster finial, all surfaces decorated Duran’s Ali Üsküdari, Kubbealtı, Istanbul, 2008, with repousse technique with brunches of roses and pp. 140-153. floral sprays. Turkish coffee (Türk kahvesi) is coffee prepared using very The bunches of roses and floral sprays on the present finely ground coffee beans, unfiltered. The same method coffee-pot are very similar to those used in the is used in Middle Eastern and eastern European countries. so-called ‘Tulip Period’, an era of social and cultural In 1550s Hakem of Aleppo opened the first coffee-shop enrichment and enlightenment, which took place in Istanbul, the Tahtakale district. Since then coffee-shops during the reign of Sultan Ahmed III (r. 1703-1730). became an integral piece of Istanbul’s daily life. The roses and floral sprays can be compared to those decorationg the ‘Fruit Room’ (Yemiş Odası) of Ahmed Tombak, the technique whereby a gilt and mercury III, in the Topkapi Palace. amalgam is applied to copper, and burnt off, leaving gold fused to the substrate, was highly favoured in Similar roses and floral sprays can also be found as the Ottoman Empire from the 15th through to the high relief decoration on the marble facades of the two 19th century. monumental public square fountains built by Ahmed III just outside the Topkapi Aside from its decorative quality it served to allay the Palace and in Üsküdar. poisonous effects of copper for food utensils.

Ali Üsküdari, the court painter and Furthermore, according to sayings [hadith] of Prophet lacquer master of the ‘Tulip Muhammad the use of gold in daily objects represented Period’, also painted extravagance and wastefulness. Because of this tombak closely related was used as a legitimate substitute for gold. roses and floral sprays which can A tombak coffe-pot of similar form is published in be found in the Gündağ Kayaoğlu’s Tombak, Dışbank, 1992, p. 14. HAJJ HOLY WATER EWER 38

IMPRESSIVE OTTOMAN TOMBAK EWER

Ottoman Empire Of baluster form on a slightly splayed, bevelled foot, with a 18th Century tall waisted neck and domed stopper with chain attached Height: 35 cm. to body, the serpentine spout also with a small stopper and chain, the handle designed as a stylised split palmette, the body and lid engraved with stylised floral sprays.

This zamzam ewer is a remarkable and rare example of tombak workmanship, displaying the introduction of Europeanized local decorative vocabulary to Ottoman metalwork in the 18th century.

These were used for storing the holy zamzam water, brought home from Mecca by pilgrims. According to Muslim tradition, the spring or well of zamzam appeared to Hagr and Ishmael after they had been abandoned in the desert by Abraham. Later the spring disappeared and was rediscovered by the Prophet’s grandfather Abd al-Muttalib.

One of the rituals of Hajj (pilgrimage) is to drink from the spring of zamzam and bring the water back to relatives and friends. The containers specially designed for carrying zamzam are called zamzamiyyas. The water of zamzam has been used for other purposes too; Qur’ans were sometimes copied with ink made from it and it was also held to have protective powers. Please see Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam, Ed. Venetia Porter, London, 2012, p. 72

Tombak is the name given to Ottoman mercury-gilded copper wares. Copper is not inert, and food vessels were gilded and tinned so they would not react with the contents. In Islam the use of solid gold (and silk) by men is prohibited, and such plating also circumvented this law.

This magnificenttombak ewer illustrates the taste for the rococo in the Ottoman Empire during the eighteenth century. Ottoman interest in European art and culture flourished under the reign of Ahmed III (r.1703-30), with his promotion of embassies in Europe.

A similar tombak ewer is published in Gündağ Kayaoğlu’s Tombak, Istanbul, 1992, p. 26. Other comparable zamzam ewers are published in the exhibition catalogues Ab-i Hayat, Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul, 2010, p.151 and Sultan III. Selim Han, Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul, 2009, p. 243. 39

CHINESE CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL VASE INSCRIBED WITH THE BEAUTIFUL NAMES OF GOD (AL-ASMA AL-HUSNA)

China The rectangular bronze body rising from a short, ring foot to a round 19th Century neck and everted rim, brightly polychrome-enamelled around the Height: 32 cm. exterior of the body with stylised lotus scrolls and foliates, all reserved Width: 13.5 cm. on a turquoise-blue ground, with gilt borders. The base with later “Qianlong” stamp. The name of God ‘Allah’ written in a lozenge in bold black kufic script, on a white background on the front and the back. There are thirty-three names of God on either side (sixty-six in total) from the al-Asmā al-Husnā [ninety-nine beautiful names of God].

The names on the left side are:

Al-Wāsi‘ The Vast, Al-Wālī The Supporter, Al-Mutakabbir The Dominant One, Al-Haqq The Truth, Al-Ra’uf The Clement, Al-Wahhāb The Bestower, Al-Muhsī The Accounting, Al-Mughnī The Enricher, Al-Hafīdh The Preserver, Al-Qawī The Strong, Al-Badī‘ The Originator, Al-Hakam The Judge, Al-Muqtadir The Determiner, Al-Sabūr The Patient, Al-Ghafūr The All-Forgiving, Al-Bātin The Hidden, Al-Malik The King, Al-Hasīb The Reckoner, Al-‘Afuw The Pardoner, Al-Dhārr The Distresser, Al-Hakīm The Wise, Al-Ghanī The All-Rich, Al-Bāsit The Expander, Al-Wakīl The Trustee, Al-Hādī The Guide, Al-Basīr The All-Seeing, Al-Mubdī The Producer of All, Al-Rashīd The Infallible, Al-Salīm The Provider of Peace, Al-Wājid The Perceiver, Al-Rahīm The Most Merciful, Al-Muqīt The Nourisher, Al-Muhdī The Emancipator.

The names on the right side are:

Al-Jalīl The Majestic, Al-Awwal The First, Al-Mu’min The Guardian of Faith, Al-Wadūd The Loving, Al-Barr The Most Kind, Al-Bārī The Maker, Al-Qawī The Strong, Dhu’l-jalāl wa’l ikrām The Lord of Majesty and Generosity, Al-Fattāh The Opener of all Portals, Al-Mu’īd The Reinstater Who Brings Back All, Al-Fayyādh The Illuminator, Al-Mu‘izz The Giver of Honour, Al-Majīd The All-Glourious, Al-Wārith The Inheritor of All, Al-Latīf The Gentle, Al-Wahīd The One, Al-Salām The Provider of Peace, Al-Jalī the Great, Al-Muta‘ālī The Self-Exalted, Al-Khāliq The Creator, Allah in kufic script Al-Karīm The Generous, Mālik al-Mulk The Owner of All Sovereignty, Al-Razzāq The Ever-Providing, Al-Majīd The Magnificent,Al-Shāfī The Bestower of Cure, Al-Rāfi‘ The Elevating, Al-‘Adl The Justice, Al-Bāqī The eternal, Al-Quds The holy, Al-Muhyī The giver of life, Al-Quddūs The most holy, Al-Shakūr The Grateful, Al-Wāhid The one and all inclusive.

A comparable Chinese lamp decorated with cloisonné decoration with Arabic inscriptions is in the David Collection in Copenhagen, please see Dr. Kjeld von Folsach’s Art of the World of Islam in the David Collection, Copenhagen, 2001, pl. 553.

Provenance Private Dutch Collection ‘SIEGE OF VIENNA’ TENT PANEL 40

RARE IMPERIAL OTTOMAN APPLIQUÉ TENT PANEL

Ottoman Empire On red cotton background, mixed silk fabrics, in portable towns that could be moved seasonally. In Circa 1683 hemmed appliqué technique, with a dense floral the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Dimensions: infilling in red, orange, yellow, green and cream. tent encampments played a decisive role in military 190 x 344 cm. Two elements are borrowed from Ottoman campaigns conducted by Ottoman Turks. Please see architecture: arched columns and windows. These Nurhan Atasoy’s Otağ-ı Hümayun: Osmanlı Çadırları, architectural elements are profusely decorated with Aygaz, Istanbul, 2000. carnations, tulips, floral sprays in vases, and Chinese cloud-bands. The decorative repertoire (viz sprays of In the army simple, undecorated tents were decorated carnations, tulips) employed in this panel is derived by the janissaries. The pavilion-palace-type tents from the work of 16th century Ottoman court atelier -which the present piece belongs to- of the Sultan masters including Kara Memi. and high-ranking officials were located at the centre and strategic points of the encampment. Of particular note is the reciprocal trefoil border, a feature of Ottoman architecture and decorative arts Apart from military campaigns, such richly decorated including textiles of the late 16th –17th century such imperial tents were used to hold official banquets, as a velvet panel in the Kremlin Armoury Museum, receptions, oaths of allegiance, circumcision and Moscow (inv. no. TK-2683). Please see: Nurhan Atasoy wedding celebrations. These were also used to et al, Ipek – The Crescent and the Rose: Imperial house the members of the royal family during Ottoman Silks and Velvets, Azimuth Editions, London, hunting parties. 2001, plate. 94.

The reciprocal trefoil border design can also be seen on the Iznik tiles in the Selimiye Mosque. Please see: Belgin Demirsar Arli et al, Tiles: Treasures of Anatolian Soil – Ottoman Period, Kale Group Cultural Publications, Istanbul, 2008, fig. 259.

Under two arches are şemse (literally ‘sun’) motifs. Two bands run at the top and the bottom. These are filled with stylized flowers and leaves. A cartouche under the band at the bottom is decorated with intertwined red and green trefoil arches.

Ottoman tents consisted of an outer tent or shell and an inner tent. The inner shells of the imperial tents – like the present tent – were decorated with appliqué work. This type of work is called “nakışlı”, “münakkaş” in Turkish. This embroidery technique involves sewing different shaped and coloured pieces of fabric to a background to create a pattern.

Tents had a special place in Turkish/Ottoman culture. For nomadic and semi-nomadic Turkish and Turkic Antonio Fernandes Puertas’s La Tienda Turca Ottomana people hundreds and thousands of tents formed de la Real Armeria, Madrid 2003, p. 63

This remarkable panel is from a tent that was For a monograph on Ottoman tents based on a probably part of the booty seized after the second very similar example to ours at the Royal Armory siege of Vienna in 1683, or the battle of Nagyharsány in Madrid, dated between 1650-1697, by Antonio near Mohács in 1687. Fernandes Puertas’s please see La Tienda Turca Ottomana de la Real Armeria. Many of these tents were booty taken by Jan III Sobieski following the famous battle outside Vienna Puertas studies the marquee in detail and praises on 12 September 1683. Much of the booty including it with the following words “When the tent was flags, weapons, stirrups, and all sorts of domestic exhibited in the exhibition, it was clear that this items were awarded to Sobieski in gratitude for his was an outstanding piece that is unique in Spain. part in the battle. Many such tents are depicted in It is rather like an architectural pavilion fashioned the sketch book of the royal painter Martin Altomonte in fabric” please see: ibid, p. 121. (1657-1745). Provenance Imperial Ottoman tents, from which our panel From the Collection of a French Diplomat, Nievre. was a part, were highly prized by members of the Austrian-Polish aristocracy because they were made of costly shimmering materials, ideal for ceremonies and warfare. The Polish used them when traveling, for negotiations, for hunting, congresses, feasts, and garden recreational activities, and not to forget military expeditions.

Today most of these tents are preserved in museums such as the Royal Castle at Wawel in Cracow, and the Rustkammer, Staatlische Kunstsammlungen in Dresden. Please see Magdalena Piwocka, “Turkish Tents in Poland”, War and Peace: Ottoman – Polish Relations in the 15th-19th Centuries, Ed. Selmin Kangal, Fako, 1999, p. 57.

Another closely related example is the Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe, please see Ernst Petrasch et al. Die Karlsruher Turkenbeute, Hirmer Verlag Munchen, Munchen, 1991, p. 317. RARE OTTOMAN-KHEDIVAL PALACE FURNITURE 41

IMPORTANT OTTOMAN-KHEDIVAL TAHT (THRONE)

Ottoman Empire 19th Century Height: 72 cm. (max) Width: 187 cm. Depth: 94 cm. Limewood, rectangular on four low cabriole feet, with tiles, and Westernizing garden landscapes. These After winning the prestigious All-Union Competition in low S-shaped sides and back carved and gilded with last may well derive from illustrated French works on December 1945, Rostropovich decided to concentrate floral sprays and scrolls on a green background, gesso gardening, under construction of pleasure pavilions, on a performing career. He became the youngest of underneath. brought back by Ottoman embassies to the courts of a generation of great Soviet artists whose reputation Louis XIV and Louis XV at Marly and Versailles.” Please preceded them in the West. He performed in England Furniture such as this opulent taht is extremely rare in see Michael Rogers’ The Topkapi Saray Museum – and the USA in 1956, emerging as the world’s foremost the Muslim world. Similar carved and gilded woodwork Architecture: The Harem and Other Buildings, Boston, cellist. Rostropovich’s lasting fame is connected to his can however be seen in the apartments of Mihrişah 1988, p. 39, nos. 28-31. championship of contemporary composers, including Sultan, mother of Selim III (r. 1789-1807) in the Reinhold Glière, Nikolai Myaskovsky and Benjamin Britten. Topkapi Palace. Comparison can be also be made for our taht with a pair of 18th century throne canapes on either side of Rostropovich’s wife Galina Vishnevskaya was born According to Professor Michael Rogers the apartments the fireplace in the Has Oda (Privy chamber) of Sultan in 1926. She survived the harrowing conditions of feature “a low ceiling supported on slender columns Murad III (r. 1574-1595). The canapes are carved and taht and its companion in the Manial Palace may Leningrad’s siege. Within a few years she was one of with extravagant carved and gilt rococo decoration, gilded with acanthus sprays on a painted ground, well have been sent from Istanbul to Egypt by the the principle sopranos of Moscow’s renowned Bolshoi decoratively framed wall-niches some with European features that can be observed on the present taht. Ottoman sultan. Theatre. In May 1955 both Rostropovich and Vishenskaya Manial Palace, Cairo Please see Rogers’ ibid, no. 68. were sent to the Prague Spring Festival to represent Prince Muhammed Ali was an highly-educated and Soviet music. A whirlwind romance ensued, leading A virtually identical taht is in the Manial Palace in cultivated royal who collected and supported the arts. to marriage within four days. Surprisingly, neither of

Cairo. Manial Palace was built by Prince Muhammad He patronised a number of artists including the painter them had heard the other perform, but ultimately it was Ali Tawfik (1875-1955), scion of the Muhammad Ali Hidayet, and had an extensive collection of 19th century their shared devotion to music which cemented their dynasty who ruled Egypt between 1805-1953. Ottoman decorative arts and Orientalist paintings. The marriage. collection is displayed in the palace which serves as a He was the son of Khedive Tawfik I (r. 1879-1892). King museum today. In 1968 Rostropovich offered writer Alexander Farouk (r. 1936-1952) was his nephew. Manial Palace, Solzhenitsyn refuge in a small apartment on the grounds built between 1899-1929 on Rhoda island, is located Provenance of his family dacha. In his support for Solzhenitsyn, in the Sharia Al-Saray area, in the El-Manial district of Mstislav Rostropovich – Galina Vishnevskaya Collection Rostropovich came into conflict with the Soviet southern Cairo, Egypt. Born into a family of musicians in 1927, Rostropovich authorities. In 1976 Rostropovich was appointed studied cello with his father Leopold, making his debut Musical director of the National Symphony orchestra of The palace complex consists of five separate and as a soloist at the age of thirteen. When war broke out, Washington, which he conducted for seventeen seasons. distinctively styled buildings, variously Art Nouveau, the family were evacuated from Moscow to Orienburg. Stripped of Soviet citizenship in 1978, the couple Rococo, Ottoman, Mamluk and Andalusian in style. In 1943 he returned to Moscow and enrolled in the returned to Russia to great acclaim only The complex is surrounded by Persian gardens within Conservatoire, studying cello with after the collapse of communism. an extensive English landscape garden. Dimitri Shostakovich.

Following the death of King Fuad I in 1936, Prince Muhammed Ali was the chief regent for the sixteen- year-old King Farouk I until his Coronation. For many years he prepared himself to rule Egypt and the Sudan. For this eventuality, there is a throne room in the Manial Palace where the companion piece to this taht is displayed.

Following land reforms under Khedive Ismail in the mid-nineteenth century, Egypt became the land of the plenty. Its enormous wealth was due to the cultivation and export of cotton. This culminated with the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, and extravagant celebrations where many diplomatic gifts were exchanged. It was for this occasion that Verdi composed the opera Aida. Objects such as the present Interior, Manial Palace, Cairo 42

OTTOMAN TORTOISESHELL AND MOTHER OF PEARL INLAID CALLIGRAPHER’S PEN BOX

Ottoman Empire Of rectangular form, standing on four legs, the exterior 17th century revetted with tortoiseshell and mother of pearl plaques, Dimensions: the sides and cover inlaid with mother-of-pearl and 14 x 15 x 34 cm. tortoiseshell, corners edged in ivory, bone and ebony, sides with stylized medallion and roundel designs, the sliding cover with a central palmette surrounded by cartouches and corner pieces.

This box is a fine example of Ottoman woodwork, displaying a high degree of originality in design and quality in execution. Boxes of this type were important for calligraphers and served both aesthetic and practical purposes. Besides gracing the calligrapher’s desk, these boxes were used to preserve the tools used by the calligrapher, such as the reed-pen-sharpener, inkwell and the maqta‘ (the flat, long and rectangular tool, usually made of ivory or bone, used for cutting and perfecting the nib of the red pen).

A comparison can be made with an almost identical 17th century Ottoman calligrapher’s box is in Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore.

Provenance Private French Collection 43

INDO-PORTUGUESE TORTOISESHELL, MOTHER OF PEARL AND IVORY INLAID TABLE CABINET

India Inlaid with panels of tortoiseshell and plaques of English households of the 17th century. Please 17th-18th Century mother-of-pearl with bold cartouches surrounded see Amin Jaffar’sLuxury Goods From India: 33.6 x 52 x 36 cm. by polygons and divided by narrow micro-mosaic The Art of the Indian Cabinet-Maker, V&A, 2002, bone and ivory borders, drop front revealing twelve pp. 18 and 28. drawers of various sizes with silver palmette handles, functioning key for lock. Our cabinet which is very high quality is unusual for its extensive use of tortoiseshell. Portable fall-front cabinets such as this were favoured by European merchants and traders living and Related seventeenth-century Indo-Portuguese travelling in Asia. Many were made in Gujarat and cabinets are in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Sind in the 16th and early 17th century as attested by Museum, Boston. Please see https:// travellers including William Finch who cited Gujarat as www.gardnermuseum.org/experience/ a leading centre of fine inlay work. Please see William collection/14843A. Please see: Pedro Moura Finch, Early Travels in India 1583-1619, ed. William Carvalho, Luxury for Export: Artistic Exchange Foster, London, 1921, p. 173. Between India and Portugal Around 1600, Periscope Publishing, 2008 These cabinets were often profusely inlaid with luxury materials such as ivory, ebony and rare woods. A seventeenth-century cabinet with large panels Furniture from this part of the world was widely of tortoiseshell is in the Museu Municipal de traded, often being used in wealthy German and Viana do Castelo, Porto, Portugal. 44 IMPORTANT TALISMANIC SHIRT (JAMA) WITH QUR’ANIC VERSES AND SHI‘A PROTECTIVE PRAYERS GIVING THE NAMES OF THE TWELVE IMAMS

North India or the Deccan “IF THE WHOLE OF THE CHAPTER OF YA-SIN (FROM THE HOLY QUR’AN ) [IS] 17th Century WRITTEN ON A WHITE MUSLIN SHIRT, NO BULLET CAN PENETRATE IT.” Heigth: 86 cm. Width: 117 cm. (Bess Allen Donaldson, The Wild Rue: Magic, Myth and Folklore in Iran, Luzac & Co.,1938)

Cotton shirt inscribed with Approximately one hundred talismanic shirts have Gabriel (Jabrail) brought the Prophet a message from Qur’anic chapters in black survived, eighty or so of which are in the Topkapi God, teaching him the Jawshan al-Kabeer prayer for thuluth script, the Jawshan Palace Museum, Istanbul, nearly all bearing prayers protection (written on the front of our shirt). Gabriel associated with ‘sunnī’ tradition, please see: Hülya said: “O’ Muhammad! Your God conveys his salutations , جوشن ی الكب� ) al-Kabeer ‘big armour’ protection Tezcan’s Topkapı Sarayı Müzesi Koleksiyonundan to you and commands you to take this coat of armour prayer) and the Jawshan Tılsımlı Gömlekler, TİMAS, Istanbul, 2011. and to recite it as this is a protection for you and your followers.” The prayer became the Prophet’s protective , جوشن ی الصغ� ) al-Sagheer ‘small armour’ protection The present shirt appears to be the only known armour. prayer) in red and black example which combines the Jawshan al-Kabeer naskh script on a cream prayer and the Jawshan al-Sagheer shi‘a prayer and In addition to the Jawshan al-Kabeer prayer the shirt is ground, the thuluth in the names of the twelve imams with the Seven inscribed with panels containing verses from the Holy black on green cartouches Hisar prayers. Qur’an including Surat al-Fath (Qur’an 48:1) and Surat and bands. The collar is al-Saf (Qur’an 61:13). embroidered with poppies. Talismanic shirts would have been worn under armour in battle. They are believed to provide divine The first verse ofSurat al-Fath: “Indeed, We have given protection to their wearer not just against arrows and you, [O Muhammad], a clear conquest” has special bullets but also against spells and magic. significance. Rose Evelyn Muravchick, in her thesis on talismanic shirts, discusses the use of Qur’anic verses Talismanic shirts also have prophylactic qualities. This and the meaning of the Surat al-Fath. Please see: is mentioned in the holy Qu’ran, in Surat al-Yūsuf, Rose Evelyn Muravchick’s God is the Best Guardian: verse: 93, where Prophet Joseph wanting to cure his Islamic Talismanic Shirts from the Gunpowder Empires, blind father Prophet Jacob, said to his brothers “take University of Pennsylvania, 2014, p. 105. my shirt and lay it over my father’s face: he will recover his sight”. The Jawshan al-Kabeer is also associated with shi‘a branch of Islam. It consists of a hundred sections. Every In Ottoman times Hürrem Sultan wrote to her section includes ten parts in which God is praised with husband, Sultan Süleyman I (r.1520-66), urging him his names and attributes. to wear the shirt she had sent to the battle-field as it would ‘turn aside bullets’ and protect him from death. The prayer was passed down from Prophet Please see: Leoni, Francesca. Power and Protection: Muhammad to his cousin Imam Ali and then from him Islamic Art and the Supernatural, Ashmolean Museum, to the Imams Husayn, Zayn al-Abidin, Muhammad Oxford, 2016, cat. 48, p. 58. al-Baqir, Jafar al-Sadiq , and then to Imam Musa al- Kādhim. Jawshan al-Kabeer Prayers on the Front According to tradition, reading the Jawshan al-Kabeer The Jawshan al-Kabeer (‘big’ Jawshan) is a long affords protection from material and spiritual assaults Arabic prayer that contains one thousand names and and harm of Satan. It also offers God’s protection from attributes of God (Allah). troubles and calamities.

According to tradition, Prophet Muhammad used armour for protecting his body during war. The angel Front of shirt Jawshan al-Sagheer and Seven Hisar Prayers on the Back

The Jawshan al-Sagheer (‘small’ Jawshan) is a shi‘a prayer, first recited by Imam Musa Kadhim, the seventh imam.

This is an esteemed prayer and according to tradition: “...when Hadi Abbasi intended to kill Musa ibn Jafar (Musa al-Kadhim), Musa recited it, and as a result saw the Prophet Muhammad in his dream who told him: “Allah will annihilate your enemy”.

The prayer was narrated by Imam Musa ibn Ja‘far, and quoted by Sayyid Ibn Tāwus in Muhaj al-Da‘awat.

The thirteen prayers (hirz) on our shirt that make up the Jawshan al-Sagheer are each attributed to the Prophet and one of the twelve imams

حرز ضح�ت رسول حرزهای چهارده معصوم

Prophet Muhammad Imam Ali Hasan Husayn Ali Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Bāqir Ja’far al-Sādiq Musā al-Kādhim Ali al-Ridhā Muhammad al-Jawād (Taqī) Ali al-Hadi (Naqī) Hasan al-Askarī Muhammad al-Mahdī In addition to the Jawshan al-Sagheer, Hisar prayers Back of shirt against spells and magic are written in large black thuluth, and in red and black naskh. These prayers consist of quotations from the holy Qur’an.

There is a comparable shirt in the Khalili Collection (inv. no. TXT 471), London, published in Francis Maddison and Emilie Savage-Smith, The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art: Science, Tools & Magic, London, 1997, No. 49.

It also has borders in bold thuluth script. Whereas, the inscription bands on the present shirt alternate with cartouches in black on green, the Khalili shirt has a continuous band of thuluth inscription in black. Both shirts have texts in naskh script in red and black ink and similar medallions.

Talismanic shirts by their very nature are extremely fragile. The present shirt is remarkable not just for being a rare survival, but because of its quality of execution, textual content and its exceptional state of preservation.

Provenance Probably acquired in India by Lieutenant Lachlan Forbes, circa 1850. Lieutenant Lachlan Forbes was born in Welling on 16th September 1830. He started for India on 20th September 1848, arriving on the 10th of November of that year. He served in the Indian army at the time of the Indian Mutiny of 1857. Colonel Malleson in his The History of the Indian Mutiny of 1857-58 (Vol: 5, p. 215) recorded that “a force commanded by Lachlan Forbes, fought against river piracy, against Rup Singh who had taken possession of a fort at Barhi, near the junction of the Chambal with the Jamnah”. Started for “Dear Old England” on 24th December 1861. The last entry THE NAMES OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD AND THE TWELVE IMAMS Prophet Muhammad 2 3 10

12 4 7 1

The Prophet Muhammad 6

8 11 1 Ali bin Abi Talib 2 Hasan Ali bin Abi Talib 3 Husayn Ali bin Abi Talib 5

9

4 Ali Zayn al-Abidin 5 Muhammad Bāqir 6 Ja’far al-Sādiq

in his diary is from 1st November 1866. Lachlan’s wife, Bibliography Julia nee Wyndham, outlived him by about thirty years. Leoni, Francesca. Power and Protection: Islamic Art and Latterly they lived in Shillingstone House, Dorset, which the Supernatural, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 2016. he had built. Maddison, Francis & Emilie Savage-Smith, The Nasser D. Lachlan Forbes’ son, Charles Forbes Khalili Collection of Islamic Art: Science, Tools & Magic, Then by descent to his granddaughter Dr. Suzanne London, 1997. Keene (nee Forbes) Muravchick, Rose Evelyn. God is the Best Guardin: Islamic By whom sold at Rosebery’s Auction House, 23 April Talismanic Shirts from the Gunpowder Empires, PhD 2018, Lot 250. Thesis, University of Pennsylvania, 2014. 7 Musā al-Kādhim 8 Ali al-Ridhā 9 Muhammad al-Jawād (Taqī) Shawn Ghassemi, New York [purchased from the Porter, Venetia & Liana Saif, Emilie Savage-Smith, auction above]. “Medieval Islamic Amulets, Talismans and Magic” in A Companion to Islamic Art and Architecture, 2017, http:// Published doi.org/10.1002/9781119069218.ch21. Shawn Ghassemi, Art Passages – Divine Protection: Tezcan, Hülya. Topkapı Sarayı Müzesi Koleksiyonundan Talismanic Art of Islamic Cultures, 2019, no. 18. Tılsımlı Gömlekler, TİMAS, Istanbul, 2011.

For a second shirt from the collection of Dr. Suzanne For a more detailed reading and translation of the Keene (nee Forbes), please refer to our previous texts on this shirt, please refer to ‘2019 Catalogue’ in catalogue: Kent Antiques Islamic & Indian Art, ‘publications’ on our website: www.kentantiques.com 2018, no. 17. 10 Ali al-Hadi (Naqī) 11 Hasan al-Askarī 12 Muhammad al-Mahdī 45

MAIDE AREL ‘WHIRLING DERVISH ’

Signed and dated: MAIDE AREL (1907-1997) ‘M. Arel 1958’ Born in Istanbul, Arel was interested in painting Oil on Canvas since early childhood. She trained at the Fine Arts Dimensions: 81 x 65 cm. Academy in Istanbul (Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi) under the supervision of famous Turkish painters such as Nazmi Ziya and Hikmet Onat.

Arel graduated from the Fine Arts Academy in 1935. To improve her artistic skills she went to Paris and worked in the workshops of famed artists Andre Lhote, Fernand Leger and Metsinger, between 1945-1950. She received diploma from Alliance Françoise. She was married to painter Şemsettin Arel.

Her first solo exhibition took place in Istanbul in 1951. Later on she exhibited her paintings at exhibitions in Paris, Edinburgh and Vienna. Her work can be found in Turkish and international museums, foundations and private collections. She died in 1997. 46

MAIDE AREL DERVISH PLAYING A FLUTE (NEYZEN)

Signed and dated: MAIDE AREL (1907-1997) ‘M. Arel 1960’ Born in Istanbul, Arel was interested in painting Oil on Canvas since early childhood. She trained at the Fine Arts Dimensions: 84 x 65 cm. Academy in Istanbul (Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi) under the supervision of famous Turkish painters such as Nazmi Ziya and Hikmet Onat.

Arel graduated from the Fine Arts Academy in 1935. To improve her artistic skills she went to Paris and worked in the workshops of famed artists Andre Lhote, Fernand Leger and Metsinger, between 1945-1950. She received diploma from Alliance Françoise. She was married to painter Şemsettin Arel.

Her first solo exhibition took place in Istanbul in 1951. Later on she exhibited her paintings at exhibitions in Paris, Edinburgh and Vienna. Her work can be found in Turkish and international museums, foundations and private collections. She died in 1997. 47

ALEV EBUZZIYA SIESBYE ART POTTERY BOWL

Signed: ‘Alev’ This quintessential work with its thin walls and the Dated: (19)‘76 way it sits evokes the impression of levitation. Height: 13.8. cm. Diameter: 23.8 cm. Alev Ebüzziya Siesbye Alev Ebüzziya Siesbye was born in August 30, 1938. Hemispherical with After studying sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts vertical sides, standing between 1956-1958, she left for Germany where she on a pointed base. worked in ceramic factories in Hohr-Grenzhausen. She Partially glazed with a returned two years later to Istanbul to work in the art frieze of abstract designs. workshop of the Eczacibasi Ceramic Factory. In 1962 Orange outlining. she moved to Copenhagen and worked for the ceramic The body is cream. company Royal Copenhagen.

Alev opened her own workshop in 1969. She lived in Denmark until 1987, then she decided to go to Paris. From 1975 to 1990 she worked as a ceramic designer for Rosenthal AG and between 1984 and 2000 for Royal Copenhagen. In 2007 she became a designer for Pasabahce Glass Factories in Turkey. She now lives in Paris.

She built an international reputation as a ceramist by modelling bowls. There were retrospective exhibitions of her works in 2002 in the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum in Istanbul and the Danish Museum of Decorative Arts in Copenhagen (Alev Ebüzziya Siesbye : Bir Seramik Evreni 1964-2002 - ‘A Ceramic Universe 1964-2002’).

Her works are in the collections of more than thirty-four major museums in the world. Among many others, she received the Eckersberg Medal (1983), Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy “Science pour l’art” prize (1990), Prince Eugen Medal (1995), Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2009), David’s Honorary Legate (2010).

Alev’s works from the Turkish Presidential Collection are published in Presidential Art Collection, Vol. II, Presidential Publications, Istanbul, 2014, pp. 322-328. BACCHUS, GOD OF WINE AND ECSTACY 48

STEELYARD WEIGHT IN THE FORM OF THE HEAD OF AN INFANT BACCHUS

Gallo-Roman, Head of Bacchus whose youthful and chubby face His origins are uncertain, and his cults took many forms. 2nd Century is framed by curly hair adorned with vine branches, Evidence from the Mycenaean period of Greek history Bronze with a green patina attributes of the god. The head is surmounted by an show that he is one of Greece’s oldest attested gods. Height: 7 cm. element forming the fastener allowing the weight to Wine played an important role in Greek and Roman (on a porphyry base) be hung on the scale which, filled with lead, weight culture, and the cult of Dionysus/Bacchus was the main Weight: 16 Kg. 16 kg (about 50 Roman pounds). religious motif surrounding its consumption. Wine, as well as the vines and grapes that it is made from, Bacchus were seen as not only a gift of the god, but a symbolic Bacchus (Greek: Διόνυσος Dionysos) is the god of the incarnation of him on earth. grape-harvest, winemaking, wine, fertility, ecstacy and theatre in ancient Greek and Roman religion and myth. The religion of Bacchus taught its followers the ideal way of drinking wine, which could ease suffering and Bacchus is the name adopted by the Romans and bring joy, as well as inspire divine madness but not the frenzy he induces is called bakkheia. Also known drunkenness. as ‘eleutherios’ (the liberator) since with his wine, music and ecstatic dance he frees his followers from Performance art and drama were also central to his self-conscious fear and care. Those who join of his religion, and its festivals were the driving force behind mysteries are believed to become possessed and the development of theatre. For an in depth survey empowered by Bacchus. please see Andrew Dalby’s Bacchus: A Biography, Getty Museum, 2004. Bacchus is believed to have been born from the union of Zeus and Persephone. Many ancient sources report Provenance that he was born twice, having been killed and reborn Fernand Lafarge Collection, Paris, until 2019 as the son of Zeus and the mortal Semele. 49

ILHAN KOMAN “I struck the iron with violence to shape it and to forge it into forms to exalt its hardness ‘DEMIR’ (IRON) and its malleability. The outcome to me was aesthetically satisfying.” Ilhan Koman

Label under base: The present sculpture, called Iron, belongs to a small After returning to Istanbul, he taught at the Istanbul Fine ‘Ilhan Koman, Stockholm, group of works produced by Ilhan Koman between Arts Academy until 1958. In 1952, he won the first place 1964’ 1956-1965. with the Relief composition under the Staircase at the Height: 37.5 cm. Honor Hall in the “Anıtkabir Sculpture Competition”. Ilhan Koman in his article, “On My Approach to Making Nonfigurative Static and Kinetic Sculpture”, explains his Inspired by the French Group Espas in 1955, Ali Hadi approach as follows: Bara, Shadi Öziş and architect Tariq Carim founded the group “Türk Grup Espas”. He tried to create works joining “Why Iron? It was simply because I had ways and means elements from paintings, sculpture and architecture. to work in this medium. … I try to take full advantage of the properties offered by each material. … I like to say: I His work was awarded at the 1954 Ankara State handled iron roughly but now I treat wood well. For me Exhibition, and he won the first prize at the 1955 Ankara the 1950s were what I call ‘my Iron Age’. My objective State Exhibition. In 1958, he undertook the construction in sculpture was then beauty, although in the process I of the Turkish pavilion at an 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. struck the iron with violence to shape it and to forge it Upon the invitation of Scottish architect Ralph Erskine, into forms to exalt its hardness and its malleability. The whom he met during the Brussels project, he went to outcome to me was aesthetically satisfying.” Please see: Sweden to research forms for his architectural designs. Ilhan Koman & Françoise Ribeyrolles, “On My Approach Leaving his first wife and his job at the Istanbul Fine to Making Nonfigurative Static and Kinetic Sculpture”, Arts Academy, he moved to Sweden in 1959. In 1965, he (Leonardo, Vol. 12, No. 1, 1979, pp.1-4), p. 2. bought a 1905-built two-mast sailing boat named M/Y Hulda, which he restored to live and work in. This boat ILHAN KOMAN (1921- 1986) became his home and workshop until his death in 1986. Born on June 17, 1921, in Edirne, Ilhan was the son of Doctor Fuat Bey, and Sevinç Leman Hanim. His In 1967, he was appointed lecturer at the Stockholm family had emigrated from Yugoslavia to Edirne in the School of Applied Arts. Scientific discoveries such as new 1880s. His grandfather from his mother’s side, was a geometric derivatives and windmills were registered revolutionary during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II, in this period. He won the first prize in the competition Mehmet Şeref Aykut Bey. for the development of an area in Sweden Sundsvall in 1969, and in 1970, the first place in the sculpture contest After finishing Edirne High School, he entered the for a sculpture to be put in front of the Örebro Municipal Painting Department of Istanbul Fine Arts Academy in Palace. He died on 30 December 1986. 1941. Upon the advice of his teachers, he transferred to the Sculpture Department a year later, as a student of Koman’s sculptures are found in the streets and squares Rudolf Belling and he graduated in 1945. of twenty cities around the world. Many of them are in Stockholm. In front of the Stockholm School In 1947, he earned a state scholarship by winning the of Architecture, his sculpture Från Leonardo (“From Ministry of Education’s exam, and was sent to Paris, Leonardo da Vinci”) is one of his widely liked works. In France together with Neşet Günal, Refik Eren and Sadi front of the Yapı Kredi Insurance Company headquarters Öziş. Between 1947–1950, he studied at the Academie in Istanbul, his sculpture Akdeniz is the sculptor’s most Julian and the École du Louvre in France. His works celebrated work in Turkey. during this time were effected by Mesopotamian and ancient Egyptian art. Koman’s works from the 2005 Retrospective exhibition in Istanbul were published in the exhibition catalogue: The artist, who felt a closeness to contemporary trends Ilhan Koman – Retrospektif / Retrospective, YKY, Istanbul, in Paris, opened his first exhibition in Paris in 1948. In 2005. His sculptures in the Turkish Presidential Collection 1951, right before returning to Turkey, he married Melda are published in Presidential Art Collection, Vol. II, Kaptana, and from this marriage, he had one son. Presidential Publications, Istanbul, 2014, pp. 316-322. 50

NEJAD DEVRIM “MON CIEL ANGLAIS ”

Oil on Canvas Nejad Devrim completed this painting in London in April 1967 and Signed: ‘M. D. Nejad’ named it “Mon ciel Anglais” (My English Sky). Inscribed at the back: “Mon ciel Anglais, Nejad Devrim (1923-1995) Londres avril 1967 ” Born in 1923 to a family of artists and intellectuals, Nejad was the son Dimensions: 50 x 61 cm of the author İzzet Melih Devrim and painter Fahrülnissa Zeid. He was writer Cevat Şakir and artist Aliye Berger’s nephew. After completing his studies at the Istanbul Faculty of Fine Arts, He left for Paris in 1946.

He organised his first exhibition at Galerie Allard. Art critic Jacques Lassaigne wrote an article on this exhibition in which he said “… Nejad has a movement enriched with the cultural heritage of Istanbul, particularly by the colours of Byzantine mosaics and the flow of Islamic calligraphy”. Please see: L’Ecole de Paris et les Peintres Turcs – Paris: 1945-1960, YKY, Istanbul, 2000, p. 38.

He painted in Paris until 1968. He exhibited with many celebrated artists of the day and became a member of Paris’ cultural circles. In 1968 he moved to Poland, where he lived until his death in 1995.

This picture was painted in 1967, towards the end of Nejad’s Paris years, a turning point for the artist. It was in the 1960s that his perception changed and he started to use intense colours. According to Lydia Herambourg, at this time “… Nejad managed to reflect his inner warmth and passion with the use of different warm colours. The reason of the continuous effect of these paintings on the viewer is probably the way in which he combines intense colours” Please see: Lydia Herambourg, “Nejad”, Nejad 1923-1995, Galeri Nev, Istanbul, 2001, pp. 13-33. Two comparable paintings by Nejad, both dated 1964, are published in ibid, pp. 124, 125.

One of the most significant name of modern Turkish art, Devrim is acknowledged as the first artist that has integrated abstract into Turkish painting.

His works can be found in the collections of Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture; İstanbul Modern; Musée National d’Art Modern, Paris; Musée d’Art Modern de la Ville de Paris; Nantes Musée des Beaux-Arts; National Museum of Warsaw; Musée Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels as well as in private collections. Lulwah Al Homoud Lulwah Al Homoud is the first Saudi to acclaim MA from Central Saint Martins, 2000, College of Art and Design, London. Her area of research is Arabic calligraphy and Islamic geometry. Earlier in 1996, she finished a BA degree in visual communication design with Cum Laude.

Developed a personal approach emerging calligraphy and geometry and based her early work on a mathematical concept. Her work is currently illustrated and taught as part of the GCSE (year9) of the Saudi Curriculum Representation of Saudi Arabia, The London Design Biennial 2018. Her work was exhibited and acquired by international museums among them The British Museum, LACMA (Los Angles County Museum of Art), Jeju Museum of modern art in Korea and Five Continent Museum in Munich, Germany and The Green Box Museum in Holland. She was the only artist from the Middle East in the inauguration exhibition that included 36 renowned international artists at Jeju Museum of Modern Art, Korea 2009.

Her work was exhibited in prestigious institutes around the world in Russia, China, USA, Europe and Middle East. Invited for a solo Exhibition at Sharjah Calligraphy Museum during the art biennial 2015, Islamic Art Festival 2015 and Calligraphy Biennial 2016 at Sharjah Art Museum. Designer of many logos including The Saudi Arabian pavilion Logo and designer of 118 calligraphic wall panels inside The Saudi Pavilion, World Expo, Shanghai 2010

51 9 Major solo exhibitions among them Sharjah Art Museum, curator of international exhibitions since 1999, including 52 ArtSpace, Dubai and Naila Gallery, Riyadh. Her works were Master Stokes, London 2003 at October Gallery. The consigned four times in Sotheby’s, Christies, Bonham’s first Saudi Arabian group art exhibition 2008, London LULWAH AL HOMOUD auctions and all were sold. Brunei Gallery. Nabatt: a sense of being, Duolun Museum, LULWAH AL HOMOUD RUMI 1 Shanghai 2010 and Beirut 2010. She is the Co-Founder of CUBE WITHIN TRIANGLES Was Invited and participated in the celebration of 300 years Cube Arts in London 2010-2017 and Dubai 2012-2015, an Mixed media on handmade paper anniversary of Meisen with international contemporary initiative for cultural exchange programs and to promote Silkscreen on archival paper 112 x 82 cm. artists in Germany. art from the region internationally. She works with 152 x 170 cm. 2018 major museums in the region as an art consultant. She is 2016 She worked with British Museum 2007 to introduce Arabic/ currently a member of board of directors of the Art and Islamic art and design to British GCSE students. She was Design Association in Saudi Arabia. 53

KOMET ‘UNTITLED’

Oil on Canvas This painting features one of Komet’s favoured Signed and Dated: subjects, blending fantasy and reality. A man walking ‘Komet (19)83’ in a dreamy landscape. Dimensions: 59 x 71 cm. Komet Gürkan Coşkun, better known as Komet, was born in 1941. He studied at the İstanbul State Academy of Fine Arts between 1960 and 1967. Later in 1971 he moved to Paris. Today, he divides his time between the two cities. His work is exhibited in various countries and praised in Turkey. The present paintings is an archetypal example of his work. 54

EROL AKYAVAS¸ ‘UNTITLED’

Signed and dated Erol Akyavaş (1932- 1999) ‘1994’ Born in Istanbul in 1932, Akyavaş began his formal arts Oil on canvas/board training in 1950 as a visiting student at the Academy of Fine 49.5 x 40.5 cm. Arts in Istanbul, Turkey under the prominent artist, poet and intellectual Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu.

Following this largely Cubist education in painting, he then took courses at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence and later in Paris under André Lhôte and Fernand Léger before making the life changing decision to move to the United States. However, instead of studying painting again, Akyavaş enrolled to the prestigious Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago in 1954 to study architecture under the revolutionary Mies van der Rohe. After graduation, Akyavaş would take up various positions at prominent architectural offices including with Eero Saarinen.

Arriving into this new Western world that was significantly different from what he had experienced in his home country or Europe, Akyavaş practised painting in the styles of Tachism and Abstract Expressionism, which were prominent during the period and which also formed his core education in Turkey and in Europe. Fascinated by his cultural heritage and traditions originating from his homeland, he applied a modern aesthetic whilst simultaneously utilising visual references from both Western and Eastern art on the themes of history, religious and spiritual beliefs and notions of time.

One of Akyavaş’s earliest works Glory of the Kings (1959) was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York the year it was painted.

For further information, biographical and exhibitions/collections, please see Beral Madra et al, Erol Akyavaş - Seçme Yapıtlar, Istanbul Bilgi Universitesi, vol: I-II, Istanbul, 2000.

Untitled by Akyavaş presents a unique opportunity to acquire a painting by one of Turkey’s leading artists of the 20th century.

Provenance The present work was acquired by a close friend and a colleague of Akyavaş and remained in the same family collection for over fifty years. 55

MEHMED ÖZÇAY ‘ASHQ’ - ‘LOVE’

Signed and Dated Mehmed Özçay Exhibitions include: ‘1440 AH’ (2019 AD) Mehmed Özçay, was born on 4July 1961 in Trabzon. Size: 78 x 70 cm. He completed his primary and secondary education in Kazema Islamic Culture Festival, 1996, Kuwait Gold and acrylic 1980 in Gerede. In 1986 He graduated from the Faculty Islamic World Calligraphy Festival, 1997, Tehran on canvas. of Theology at Erzurum Ataturk University. He studied International calligraphy exhibition “Wonders of Arab Composition in thuluth and naskh scripts with calligrapher Fuad of Calligraphy”, 1999, Riyadh jali thuluth script Erzurum whom he met in 1982. He received his International “Arab Calligraphy Days”, 1999, Tunisia ijazah (calligrapher’s license) from Başar in 1993. International “Holy Quran Exhibition”-2000, Tehran In 1986, Özçay moved to Istanbul and met calligrapher “National Calligraphy Festival”, 2001, Tunisia and Ottoman calligraphy historian Professor M. Uğur “Calligraphy Exhibition”, 2003, Tokyo Derman. This meeting marked the beginning of their “Salam and Calligraphy”, 2003, Doha fruitful teacher-student bond which contributed to “International Calligraphy Biennial”, 2004, Sharjah fostering his appeal for calligraphy and to broadening “International Arabic Calligraphy Exhibitions” held in his knowledge and horizons on many levels. 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2017, Dubai Özçay participated in the first two international Emirates Through Arab Eyes, 2008, UAE calligraphy competitions held by the Research Centre 3rd Kuwait International Islamic Arts Congress, for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA) winning six 2008, Kuwait awards in a variety of categories and most notably the Qatar International Calligraphy Exhibition, 2010, Qatar first prize in the category ofthuluth and naskh scripts. International Most Famous Quran Manuscript He started copying the Holy Qur’an in 1986, completing Calligraphers’ Convention, 2011, Madinah it in 1991. This now famous Qur’an, first published in “Hulum Fares”, 2012, Istanbul 1992, was a true milestone in Özçay’s career. “International Gathering on the Art of Calligraphy”, 2014, Istanbul Özçay who had published reproductions of many of “International Calligraphy Biennial”, 2014, Sharjah his works, also compiled two albums in 2007, including “Beirut American University International Calligraphy cherry-picked pieces from the twenty-five years of Exhibition and Symposium”, 2017, Beirut his artistic career; “Nuru ‘Ayni” in Arabic and “Spoken Yeditepe Biennial, 2018, Istanbul by the Hand Heard by the Eye”, in English. Moreover, Yıldız Holding ‘Asma-i Nabi Exhibition’, 2018, Istanbul within the field of calligraphy, he contributed with ‘International Riyadh Art Exhibition MiSK’, 2018, Riyadh his experience to numerous scholarly publications with photographs he had taken and his expertise on technical aspects.

Özçay also held exhibitions together with his siblings He added a new dimension to his works, especially in the Osman Özçay and Fatma Özçay. The first of these took jaliscripts, by utilizing coloured and transparent ink. By place in May 1996 in the Yıldız Palace, Istanbul. Later, doing so he managed to reveal and highlight movements “Özçay” calligraphy exhibitions were held in National of the reed pen on paper. He introduced an innovative and Culture Foundation in Istanbul, in 1998; in Qatar-Doha unique approach to the karalama (calligraphic exercise) in November 1998; in Abu Dhabi in December 1998; tradition by using coloured ink in the jali thuluth and jali in Sharjah in 1999; in Dubai in 2003 and in Abu Dhabi naskh scripts. International Book Fair in 2017. As a dedicated calligraphy tutor, he is conveying his After two years of rigorous work together with expertise and knowledge to his students in order to the calligraphy team he formed, Özçay wrote the encourage future generations of calligraphers. calligraphies for the ‘King Abdullah Makkah Masjid al-Haram Expansion Project’ which was completed in Özçay loves travelling, strolling in nature and has an 2015. In March 2018, he received an honorary doctorate interest in photography. He owns a remarkable archive of degree from Süleyman Demirel University and was photographs of calligraphies from various museums, private appointed as a member of the Turkish Presidential collections and mosques both within Turkey and abroad. Council of Culture and Arts Policies. 56

TIMO NASSERI “ONE AND ONE #47”, 2017

White ink on Timo Nasseri pigmented paper Timo Nasseri was born in Berlin in 1972. Combining 159.4 x 108.4 cm. Islamic and Western cultural heritages, his work is framed in Nutwood inspired as much by specific memories and religious 166 x 115 cm, incl. frame references as by universal archetypes described by mathematics and language, and the inner truths of form and rhythm. He has held several solo exhibitions which include: A Universal Alphabet , Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut (2019); Uncertain Phases, Kunstfort bij Vijfhuizen (2018); All the letters in all the stars, Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah (2017), I saw a broken Labyrinth, Ab/Anbar Gallery, Tehran (2017); Florenz-Bagdad, AK Wien (2016); The more beneath my feet the skies I see, Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Hamburg (2015); Nine Firmaments, Schleicher / Lange, Berlin (2015); O Time Thy Pyramids, Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Hamburg (2012); Nasseri/Englund, Schleicher /Lange , Paris (2010);Ghazal, Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Hamburg (2009); One of Six, Kunstverein Arnsberg (2009); Epistrophy (2008) and Falling Stars (2006) both at Schleicher /Lange, Paris.

He has also participated in the following group exhibitions: Negativer Raum, ZKM, Karlsruhe (2019); Konkrete Gegenwart, Museum Haus Konstruktiv, Zürich; Drawing Biennial 2017, The Drawing Room, London (2017); NGV Triennial ,National Gallery of Victoria, , Melbourne (2017); Temporal Turn: Art and Speculation in Contemporary Asia, Spencer Museum of Art, Kansas (2016); ); Fire and Forget, KW-Kunstwerke, Berlin (2015); Luminous! Dynamic!, Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Paris (2013); Sculpture is Everything, Queensland Art Gallery|Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane (2012); Wunder, Deichtorhallen Hamburg (2011); Taaffe-Streuli- Nasseri, Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut (2010); Taswir – Pictorial Mappings of Islam and Modernity, Martin- Gropius-Bau, Berlin (2009).

He was one of the winners of the ABRAAJ CAPITAL ART PRIZE in 2011 and awarded the Saar Ferngas Förderpreis Junge Kunst in 2006. 57

AHMED MOUSTAFA ‘EQRA - MOUNTAIN OF LIGHT’ FIVE PANEL COMPOSITION

Oil / Watercolour The name of this composition is the first word of the first on Cotton Paper verse revealed of the holy Qur’an: ‘Eqra’ (Read). Overall height of the It represents a very important dimension to the following assembled unframed first five verses of the Surah al-‘Alaq, from the Qur’an: panels: 277 cm. Overall width: 299 cm. “Read in the name of thy Sustainer, who has created (1) – created man out of a germ-cell! (2) Read – for thy Sustainer is the Most Bountiful One (3) who has taught [man] the use of the pen (4) – taught man what he did not know! (5)”

The Qur’an, Surah Al-‘Alaq (The Germ Cell) 96:1-5.

The text of these five verses includes only fourteen Arabic letter shapes ,( ا ق ر ب س م ک ل ذ ی خ ن ع و ) which are compatible with the lunar cycle. It illustrates the progression of the moon shape from it’s initial waxing state to the full disc, signifying the completion of two weeks of the lunar month. The remaining two weeks trace back this order from the full moon to return to the initial waxing state, thus concluding the cycle.

In the composition the twenty eight phases of the moon, corresponding to the twenty eight letters of the Arabic alphabet, are painted against a cube of letters.

Each of the twenty-eight stations of the moon has a different name in Arabic. These twenty eight names are: Al-Batn al-Hut, Al-Sharatain, Al-Butain, Al-Thurayya, Al- Dabaran, Al-Hak’ah, Al-Han’ah, Al-Dhira, Al-Nathrah, Al-Taif, Al-Jabhah, Al-Zubrah, Al-Sarfah, Al-Awwa, Al-Simak, Al- Ghafr, Al-Jubana, Al-Jabhah, Al-Kalb, Al-Shaulah, Al-Na‘am, Al-Baldah, Al-Sa‘d al-Dhabih, Al-Sa‘d al-Bula, Al-Sa‘d al- Ahmed Moustafa Born Alexandria, Egypt, 1943

The endless lunar cycle Su‘ud, Al-Sa‘d al-Ahbiyah, Al-Fargh al-Mukdin, Al-Fargh the fact that obeying the God’s command ‘Eqra’ leads In 1966 Moustafa was awarded the highest national as a whole. His recent publication ‘The Cosmic Script’ as a testimony to the al-Thani. us to read, reflect, contemplate, comprehend, recite distinction as an accomplished figurative artist at the (2014), authored jointly with Dr Stefan Sperl, senior passing of time. this world and the next, the infinity of God’s power Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Alexandria. He later lecturer at SOAS, London, has for the first time given a The first fourteen phases of the moon create an exact and virtues which have no boundaries. taught there and, in 1974, was granted a scholarship comprehensive analysis of Ibn Muqla’s theory and its mirror-image reflection of the following fourteen to the United Kingdom. He joined the printmaking significance in the art of Islam. His earlier publication phases. These phases have also been mentioned in the The legible right side of the composition represents department of the Central School of Art and Design, ‘Discovering the Archetypal Shapes of Arabic Numerals’ Qur’an: the world we can observe and the illegible left London, where he developed his interest in the science can be seen as a prelude to that ground breaking work side represents the invisible world. It is an attempt of Arabic penmanship and the roles of its letter shapes to prove that Arabic letters and numbers are governed “And the moon - We have determined for it phases, to make the viewer read, reflect, contemplate, in the structural morphology of Islam. by the same geometrical laws. until it returns [appearing] like the old date stalk. comprehend, think that the space is not limited with (Qur’an, 36:39) and “The sun and the moon travel with what we visually experience. His investigation was inspired by the theory of Moustafa has lived in London since 1974 where, in 1983, precision. (Qur’an, 55:5)” ‘Proportioned Script’ by the celebrated Abbasid wazir he set up the Fe-Noon Ahmed Moustafa Research Centre The pattern in the background is formulated by a and scribe Ibn Muqla (A.D.886-940) who was acclaimed for Arab Art and Design. His work includes lectures and The cube is divided ‘10 x 10 x 10’, providing only multitude of the fourteen detached letter shapes that as the original founder of the art and science of the workshops worldwide as well as numerous commissions twenty eight slots for the twenty eight Arabic letter participated in the textual meaning of the five verses pen and penmanship. That theory was the subject of among them a composition presented by Her Majesty shapes, revealing the main three states of the colour of Surah Al-‘Alaq. assiduous academic research worldwide for over two- Queen Elizabeth II to Pakistan on the occasion of spectrum (red, blue, yellow). and-a-half centuries. Most attempts, however, not only this country’s fiftieth anniversary, 1997. In 1998 he The equilibrium is embedded in the power of the failed to decipher its true nature but also added to the was invited by the Vatican to exhibit his work at the The words on both sides of the cube panel consist of complementary in both sides of the composition, perplexity of its mystery. Pontificia Universitas Gregoriana, Rome. That exhibition, seven Eqras (the first word of the divine revelation, such as green with the shadows in red, and red with entitled ‘Where Two Oceans Meet’, was heralded as the ‘Eqra - Read’) on the right and seven Eqras on the left, shadows in green. This is an important feature of the In 1989, after eleven years of painstaking investigations, first achievement of its kind in the history of Muslim- forming a mirror image. This gives us fourteen Eqras composition and plays a role in defining its aesthetics. he was awarded a Ph.D. degree by the council for Christian relations. In celebration of his contribution in total, corresponding to the fourteen Arabic letter It represents the intertwined nature of material and National Academic Awards for his ground breaking to art and culture, Muslim Power 100 awarded him shapes used in the writing of the above-mentioned soul, this world and the next. work on the ‘The Scientific Foundation of the Arabic its highest honour in 2007 as one of the hundred first five verses ofSurah Al-‘Alaq. Letter Shapes’ undertaken at the Central School of Art most influential Muslims in Britain. In February 2010 Consequently, the main objective of this composition and Design in collaboration with the British Museum. the Turkish Women’s Cultural Association (TURKKAD) The area assigned to each letter of the fourteen Eqras is pointing to the unison of cosmic reality and the The remarkable piece of research, which deserves wider conferred upon him the Friend Award for serving Islam in the main composition is determined by the first destiny of man. It aims to visually crystallise this fact recognition, reveals the exact geometric grid underlying at a special ceremony convened in Istanbul on the five verses ofSurah Al-‘Alaq inscribed with smaller by indicating the compatibility between the role the “proportional script” developed in the ninth day of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. The award letters. Writing small inscriptions into larger letters of the twenty-eight mansions of the moon and the century by Ibn Muqla, whose time-honoured criteria was presented to him by the highest Islamic authority is an ancient technique in Islamic penmanship. This twenty-eight letters of the Arabic alphabet. That for executing Arabic letter shapes have been followed in Turkey, Dr. Ali Bartakoĝlu, Chief of the Turkish traditional technique finds a new interpretation in is why the intellectual state of the Prophet (pbuh) for over a thousand years. In thus rediscovering the Directorate General of Religious Affairs. Ahmed Moustafa’s exquisite composition. had to be unlettered. Lastly, as emphasized in the geometric principles underpinning the visual harmony compatibility of colours and letter forms surrounding and cohesion of Arabic penmanship, Ahmed Moustafa’s His creative works are among the collections of ‘Eqra’ is a divine command, which means ‘read’, the central panel, it aims to highlight the overall work also throws a new and revealing light on the international museums, institutions and private ‘reflect’, ‘contemplate’, ‘comprehend’, ‘recite’. In this harmony between the Arabic alphabet and the aesthetical principles which govern the art of Islam collections all over the world. respect this composition also draws our attention to cosmic reality. 58

NEJAD DEVRIM “FULL MOON”

Oil on Canvas Nejad Devrim (1923-1995) Signed and Dated Born in 1923 to a family of artists and intellectuals, Nejad ‘M. D. Nejad 1958’ was the son of the author İzzet Melih Devrim and painter Signed also on the Fahrülnissa Zeid. He was writer Cevat Şakir and artist Reverse Aliye Berger’s nephew. After completing his studies at Dimensions: 92 x 73 cm. the Istanbul Faculty of Fine Arts, He left for Paris in 1946.

He organised his first exhibition at Galerie Allard. Art critic Jacques Lassaigne wrote an article on this exhibition in which he said “… Nejad has a movement enriched with the cultural heritage of Istanbul, particularly by the colours of Byzantine mosaics and the flow of Islamic calligraphy”. Please see: L’Ecole de Paris et les Peintres Turcs – Paris: 1945-1960, YKY, Istanbul, 2000, p. 38.

He painted in Paris until 1968. He exhibited with many celebrated artists of the day and became a member of Paris’ cultural circles. In 1968 he moved to Poland, where he lived until his death in 1995.

This picture was painted towards the end of Nejad’s Paris years, a turning point for the artist. It was in the 1960s that his perception changed and he started to use intense colours.

According to Lydia Herambourg, at this time “… Nejad managed to reflect his inner warmth and passion with the use of different warm colours. The reason of the continuous effect of these paintings on the viewer is probably the way in which he combines intense colours” Please see: Lydia Herambourg, “Nejad”, Nejad 1923-1995, Galeri Nev, Istanbul, 2001, pp. 13-33. Two comparable paintings by Nejad, both dated 1964, are published in ibid, pp. 124, 125.

One of the most significant name of modern Turkish art, Devrim is acknowledged as the first artist that has integrated abstract into Turkish painting.

His works can be found in the collections of Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture; İstanbul Modern; Musée National d’Art Modern, Paris; Musée d’Art Modern de la Ville de Paris; Nantes Musée des Beaux-Arts; National Museum of Warsaw; Musée Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels as well as in private collections. 59 The idea is simple and, like its central ‘When my grandfathers spoke to me as a 60 element, forcefully attractive. Ahmed child about their experience of Hajj they Mater gives a twist to a magnet and sets told me of the physical attraction they felt AHMED MATER AHMED MATER in motion tens of thousands of particles towards the Ka‘ba, that they felt drawn to MAGNETISM I-IV ALLAH O AKBAR I, 2011 of iron, a multitude of tiny satellites that it by an almost magnetic pull’. In this work, 2012 (PHOTOGRAVURE) form a single swirling nimbus. Even if Mater has evoked that feeling by using tens we have not taken part in it, we have of thousands of iron filings placed within Height 100 cm Height 42 cm each all seen images of the Hajj, the great the magnetic fields of two magnets – only Width 150 cm Width 63 cm each annual pilgrimage of Muslims to Makkah. the upper one of which is visible. For Ahmed’s black cuboid magnet is a small Mater Magnetism also conveys one of the Plastic toy gun-caps glued Hand Printed simulacrum of the black-draped Ka’bah, essential elements of Hajj that all Muslims together into a sheet Photogravure Etchings the ‘Cube’ – that central element of the are considered the same in the eyes of God COA / Unique in variation of 8 COA / Signed and Meccan rites. His circumambulating whirl whether rich, poor young or old. As such numbered by the artist of metallic filings mirrors in miniature the the iron filings represent a unified body of in an edition of 45 concentric tawaf of the pilgrims and their pilgrims all of whom are similarly attracted to sevenfold circling of the Ka’bah. the Ka‘ba as the centre of their world.

Tim Mackintosh-Smith, 2010 Venetia Porter, Curator, Hajj, Journey to the Heart of Islam, the British Museum

NOTES

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