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Page with illuminated calligraphy

Calligrapher: İsmâ‘îl Zühdî (“Eski Zühdî”) (Ottoman, died 1731)
1723 A.D./ 1136 A.H.
Object Place: Turkey

Medium/Technique Ink and gold on paper
Dimensions Height x width: 33.4 × 25.5 cm (13 1/8 × 10 1/16 in.)
Credit Line Helen and Alice Colburn Fund
Accession Number29.117
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAsia, Islamic Art
ClassificationsBooks and manuscripts
Ottoman calligraphers often demonstrated their skills by writing different styles and sizes of Arabic script on rectangular sheets of paper, which were then illuminated, mounted on pasteboard, and assembled into accordion fold albums, known as muraqqaʿ. This vertical folio contains several horizontal panels of calligraphy containing Hadith, each outlined with gold margins. An illuminator added verse markers and the marbled papers were speckled with silver leaf.

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