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Album of Calligraphy

Seyh Hamdullah (Islamic, 1436 (?)-1520) (Scribe)
10th century AH/16th century AD-12th century AH/18th century AD (Ottoman)
opaque watercolor and ink on paper mounted on thin pasteboard bound between sheepskin-covered boards with gold and chamois leather
(Islamic World , Manuscripts and Rare Books, Islamic Manuscripts)

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.

Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

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

Exhibitions

2015-2016 Pearls on a String: Artists, Patrons, and Poets at the Great Islamic Courts. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco.
2010 Poetry and Prayer: Islamic Manuscripts from the Walters Art Museum. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.
2009 The Saint John's Bible: A Modern Vision through Medieval Methods. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.
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Geographies

Turkey (Place of Origin)

Measurements

Folio H: 11 13/16 x W: 9 1/16 in. (30 x 23 cm)

Credit Line

Acquired by Henry Walters

Location in Museum

Not on view

Accession Number

In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.

W.672

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