PROBABLY BURSA, CIRCA 15TH CENTURY

Details

INLAID WOOD INSCRIPTION PANEL
Probably Bursa, circa 15th century
Written in large thuluth with the single phrase Ashhadu anla ilaha illa Allahu wa ashhadu Muhammad rasul Allah in gilt copper outlined with green stained ivory on a wooden base, the phrase divided in two parts within lobed cartouches, the spandrels and outer margins with arabesque interlace of gilt-copper outlined with light wood and set into a dark wood ground, minor losses
16¼ x 61in. (41.2 x 155cm.)

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Lot Essay

A similar large inscription in jali thuluth, where the alif and lam cross in a V-shape, is to be found on a tomb in Bursa dating from the 15th century. (Safadi, Y.H.: Islamic calligraphy, London, 1978, fig. 137, p. 123)
The Yesil Jami in Bursa, completed at the end of 1419 AD, has a similar large panel situated high above the mihrab with the shahhada. The mosque, the Yesil Türbe and the Muradiye mosque in Bursa all feature cuerda seca tiles with interlaced arabesques and floral motifs similar to those found on this panel. Ertug, Goodwin et.al., Reflections of Paradise, Istanbul, 1995, pp. 89, 91, 97-107, 119, 131, 186
The technique of outlining the gilded copper with green stained ivory is unusual.

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