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Lot Essay
THE HILYAH IS A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD, RENDERED IN CALLIGRAPHIC FORMAT. CREDIT FOR THE LAYOUT OF THE CLASSIC HILYAH GOES TO THE FAMOUS OTTOMAN CALLIGRAPHER, HAFIZ OSMAN (1642-98). THE LAYOUT IS USUALLY AS THE PRESENT LOT, WITH THE BISMILLAH ABOVE, FOLLOWED BY THE DESCRIPTION AND WITH THE NAMES OF THE FOUR SO-CALLED RIGHTLY GUIDED CALIPHS, OMAR, UTHMAN, ABU BAKR AND 'ALI IN ROUNDELS. IT WAS OFTEN AN EXAMINATION PIECE FOR BUDDING CALLIGRAPHERS, SUBMITTED BY PUPIL TO MASTER. (SAFWAT,N.: THE ART OF THE PEN, OUP, 1996, PP. 46-49)
SEYYID IZZET MUSTAFA WAS A PROLIFIC CALLIGRAPHER, WHOSE BEST KNOWN WORKS ARE THE MASSIVE ROUNDELS WITH THE NAMES OF THE FOUR CALIPHS WHICH HANG IN AYASOFYA IN ISTANBUL. HE WAS KNOWN AS 'THE SECOND SHEIKH', THE FIRST BEING SHEIKH HAMDULLAH, AND HIS MASTERY OF TA'LIQ SCRIPT ALSO EARNED HIM THE TITLE 'THE SECOND 'IMAD' AFTER MIR 'IMAD, THE MASTER OF NASTA'LIQ. HIS TITLE SEYYID IMPLIES THAT HIS FAMILY CLAIMED DIRECT DESCENT FROM THE PROPHET. (SAFWAT, OP.CIT.P. 138)
SEYYID IZZET MUSTAFA WAS A PROLIFIC CALLIGRAPHER, WHOSE BEST KNOWN WORKS ARE THE MASSIVE ROUNDELS WITH THE NAMES OF THE FOUR CALIPHS WHICH HANG IN AYASOFYA IN ISTANBUL. HE WAS KNOWN AS 'THE SECOND SHEIKH', THE FIRST BEING SHEIKH HAMDULLAH, AND HIS MASTERY OF TA'LIQ SCRIPT ALSO EARNED HIM THE TITLE 'THE SECOND 'IMAD' AFTER MIR 'IMAD, THE MASTER OF NASTA'LIQ. HIS TITLE SEYYID IMPLIES THAT HIS FAMILY CLAIMED DIRECT DESCENT FROM THE PROPHET. (SAFWAT, OP.CIT.P. 138)