Album of Ottoman Calligraphy

Description Walters manuscript W.672 is an album (muraqqa') of calligraphy in an accordion format that was compiled in Ottoman Turkey in the12th century AH/AD 18th. It consists of leaves bearing fragmentary passages from the Qur'an (chapter 2 [Surat al-baqarah], 2:65-68 and chapter 4 [Surat al-nisa'], 4:103-106); sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (hadith); and two sheets of pen exercises (karalama). The Qur'anic verses and the passages of hadith are written in vocalized Naskh and Thuluth scripts in black ink. Fol. 5a bears the name of the Ottoman calligrapher Seyh Hamdullah (Hamd Allah al-Amasi, died 926 AH/AD 1520). Seyh Hamdullah was the most celebrated calligrapher of his time and influenced subsequent generations of calligraphers. Each page in the album is framed by 18th-century marbled borders. The sheepskin binding with central lobed medallion has a central panel filled with chamois leather and probably dates to the 12th century AH/AD 18th.

Exhibitions

• The Saint John's Bible: A Modern Vision through Medieval Methods. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2009.
• Poetry and Prayer: Islamic Manuscripts from the Walters Art Museum. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2010.

Provenance Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters