Creative Commons License
Fragmentary Ottoman Cenotaph Cover with Qur'anic Verses
(Islamic World )
This cenotaph cover bears calligraphic Qur'anic verses and the shahada of Islam: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet." It would have been used as a cover for a sanduka, a coffin-shaped stone indicating the burial place of an important person. The chevron (zigzag) design was frequently used on kiswa covers commissioned by Ottoman sultans and sent to Mecca every year to adorn the Ka"ba. A square building located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the Ka"ba, which means cube in Arabic, is elegantly draped in a silk and cotton veil and is the holiest shrine in Islam.
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.
Acquired by Henry Walters, Baltimore; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 7/8/2015 | Examination | examined for exhibition; stabilized; tears repaired |
| 7/8/2015 | Treatment | other; stabilized |
| 7/8/2015 | Treatment | Distorations and creases were relaxed using local humidification and flattening. |
Geographies
Turkey (Place of Origin)
Measurements
W: 50 13/16 × W: 28 3/8 in. (129 × 72 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.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
83.7