A LARGE CARVED OTTOMAN INSCRIBED STELE

TURKEY, CIRCA 1800

Details

A LARGE CARVED OTTOMAN INSCRIBED STELE
TURKEY, CIRCA 1800
Comprising a tall double sided rectangle carved above with a cusped terminal panel, the face with an inscription worked into a tughra above a band of naskh calligraphy, the main panel divided into four bands of dense naskh below the kufic bismallah above an arched panel with three-line inscription including the signature, the spandrels with rosettes, within a band of kufic, the whole main panel enclosed within a band of meandering leafy vine, the reverse with large thuluth inscription above the main eight line naskh inscription within a floral carved border, a further two-line inscription below including the signature, negligible chips to extremities, mounted on block base
5ft.3in. (162cm.) high

Lot Essay

The inscriptions on this stele, with the exceptions of the signatures, are all koranic. The tughra is composed of sura iii, part of v.185; the central panel is sura i, while the kufic forms sura cxii. The signature below is given as: "The work of Ustad 'Abd al-Halim and 'Abd al-Rahman. The reverse is inscribed with sura ii, v.255; the lowest line is inscribed on each side: "The work of 'Abd al-Halim" and "It was written by 'Abd al-Rahman".

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