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Requires Photography
Page with illuminated calligraphy
Calligrapher: ‘Os̱mān b. Süleymān (Ottoman, died 1781)
18th century
Object Place: Turkey
Medium/Technique
Ink, color, and gold on paper; marbled paper
Dimensions
Height x width: 24 × 16.4 cm (9 7/16 × 6 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
Helen and Alice Colburn Fund
Accession Number29.95
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAsia, Islamic Art
ClassificationsBooks and manuscripts
This calligraphic folio was composed by ‘Os̱mān b. Süleymān (d. 1781), who was also known as Eyyūbī, in reference to the Eyüb neighborhood in Istanbul. Written in the Persian language using the nasta‘līq script, this folio praises Yirmisekiz Çelebī-zāde Meḥmed Sa‘īd Pasha (Grand Vezir Sa‘īd Pasha), who was a great reformer and the patron of the first printing press in the Ottoman Empire. The text is a chronogram celebrating Sa‘īd Pasha's appointment as vizir. When the numerical values of the letters on the fourth line are added, the sum yields 1169 A.H. (1755 A.D.) — the date of Sa‘īd Pasha's appointment.
DescriptionSingle folio; calligraphy in nasta‘līq
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)