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Lot Essay
Highly decorative religiously inspired calligraphic panels became popular from the 16th century onwards. This later calligram or levha features the Prophet’s name at the centre of the illuminated starburst and four of his family members in the inner illumination. The name ‘Ali is heavily stylised and repeated eight times, with the names of the twelve imams nested into the tails of the yas.
The calligrapher, Mehmed ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Rifa'i, was recognised for his skill at an early age. Born in Maçka, near Trabzon in 1871, he went on to study under Hasan Hüsni Efendi of Karinabad, an official in the office of the Grand Mufti. His skill was recognised and he achieved a position in the Grand Mufti’s office in Istanbul. He was subsequently awarded the fourth Mecid-i Order and the rank of Mahreç.
After gaining recognition as a skilled calligrapher, in 1922 King Fuad of Egypt requested his services to work on a Qur’an in Cairo. Following the revolution in Turkey, he remained in Egypt and founded several schools, returning to Istanbul just before his death in 1934. Later in his career ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Rifa'i began to incorporate ‘sheikh’ into his signature (I.M.K. Inal, Son Hattatlar, Istanbul, 1955, pp.68-72). From this, we can deduce that this calligram likely comes from his earlier work in Istanbul. A hilyah by ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Rifa'i was sold in these Rooms, 9 October 2014, lot 11.
The calligrapher, Mehmed ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Rifa'i, was recognised for his skill at an early age. Born in Maçka, near Trabzon in 1871, he went on to study under Hasan Hüsni Efendi of Karinabad, an official in the office of the Grand Mufti. His skill was recognised and he achieved a position in the Grand Mufti’s office in Istanbul. He was subsequently awarded the fourth Mecid-i Order and the rank of Mahreç.
After gaining recognition as a skilled calligrapher, in 1922 King Fuad of Egypt requested his services to work on a Qur’an in Cairo. Following the revolution in Turkey, he remained in Egypt and founded several schools, returning to Istanbul just before his death in 1934. Later in his career ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Rifa'i began to incorporate ‘sheikh’ into his signature (I.M.K. Inal, Son Hattatlar, Istanbul, 1955, pp.68-72). From this, we can deduce that this calligram likely comes from his earlier work in Istanbul. A hilyah by ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Rifa'i was sold in these Rooms, 9 October 2014, lot 11.