.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The inscription on these four panels translate as 'There is no God except Him [Allah]'. It is verse 18 of sura Al 'Imran which was a widely copied sura, repeating the profession of faith and proclaiming Allah's justice. It is found widely on mosques, including on the qibla screen of the Quwwat al-Islam Mosque, and on funerary monuments.
These panels can be firmly attributed to North India in the early-Sultanate period. The closing years of the 12th century and first quarter of the 13th century was without a doubt the most artistically innovative and sophisticated period in the history of the Delhi Sultanates. In this period, the Khurasani traditions of calligraphy, architecture and decoration had their most fruitful encounter with the Indian tradition of stone carving.
Carved calligraphy was perhaps the most distinctive feature of the architecture of Ghurid and early-Sultanate architecture in North India. Though stone carving was used in Afghanistan and Central Asia under the Ghurids and Ghaznavids, it was typically restricted to small architectural features.. Most large scale calligraphic decoration on buildings was in either brick or stucco.
In India, however, the hybrid of Khurasani calligraphy and Indian traditions of stone carving resulted in a remarkable explosion of carved calligraphy. The start of this tradition can be seen in stone inscriptions from Ghurid mosques dating from around the turn of the 13th century. These include a foundation text for a mosque in Hansi, Haryana, that mentions the name of the Ghurid Sultan Mu'izz al-Din; a Qur'anic stone inscription framing the mihrab of the Chaurasi Khamba Mosque in Kaman, Rajasthan, dating from circa 1200; and the Shahi Masjid in Khatu, dated circa 1203.
Calligraphy as a form of decoration reached a high point in Delhi under the governorship of Qutb al-Din Aibak and during the first few decades of the independent sultanate he founded following the collapse of Ghurid power in 1206. This is seen in the remarkable Qur'anic and historical inscriptions that surround the majestic Qutb Minar, the building of which was commenced in 1193. The construction of both this and the surround mosque, known as the Quwwat al-Islam Mosque, were continued by Qutb al-Din's successor, Iltutmish (r. 1210-35), who also constructed a tomb for himself in the same complex, the exterior and interior of which were almost entirely covered with carved Qur'anic inscriptions. Work on the mosque was continued much later in the 13th century by 'Ala al-Din Khalji (r. 1296-1316), among whose additions were the magnificent Ala'i Darwaza, a gate covered with marble inlay and carved calligraphy.
The tradition of carved calligraphy seems to have died out quite shortly after the reign of 'Ala al-Din Khalji, as stucco replaced stone as the main form of architectural decoration. The fall in the use of carved stone calligraphy was also accompanied by a general decline in the quality of architectural epigraphy (see Z.E. Desai, “Calligraphy: islamic inscriptional art”, in The Impulse to Adorn: studies in traditional indian architecture, Marg Publications, 1982, pp. 115-123). Of course, in this short period in which calligraphy reigned as the supreme form of architectural decoration, there were varieties and developments in style.
The calligraphy on these panels is generally thick and bold, with a largely rectilinear, spacious character. In this regard it is close to the lower, first band on the first storey of the Qutb Minar, where the letter forms are thick and only slightly tapering. Like the frieze on the Qutb Minar, the carving is superbly crisp and has an almost sculptural quality.
These panels can be firmly attributed to North India in the early-Sultanate period. The closing years of the 12th century and first quarter of the 13th century was without a doubt the most artistically innovative and sophisticated period in the history of the Delhi Sultanates. In this period, the Khurasani traditions of calligraphy, architecture and decoration had their most fruitful encounter with the Indian tradition of stone carving.
Carved calligraphy was perhaps the most distinctive feature of the architecture of Ghurid and early-Sultanate architecture in North India. Though stone carving was used in Afghanistan and Central Asia under the Ghurids and Ghaznavids, it was typically restricted to small architectural features.. Most large scale calligraphic decoration on buildings was in either brick or stucco.
In India, however, the hybrid of Khurasani calligraphy and Indian traditions of stone carving resulted in a remarkable explosion of carved calligraphy. The start of this tradition can be seen in stone inscriptions from Ghurid mosques dating from around the turn of the 13th century. These include a foundation text for a mosque in Hansi, Haryana, that mentions the name of the Ghurid Sultan Mu'izz al-Din; a Qur'anic stone inscription framing the mihrab of the Chaurasi Khamba Mosque in Kaman, Rajasthan, dating from circa 1200; and the Shahi Masjid in Khatu, dated circa 1203.
Calligraphy as a form of decoration reached a high point in Delhi under the governorship of Qutb al-Din Aibak and during the first few decades of the independent sultanate he founded following the collapse of Ghurid power in 1206. This is seen in the remarkable Qur'anic and historical inscriptions that surround the majestic Qutb Minar, the building of which was commenced in 1193. The construction of both this and the surround mosque, known as the Quwwat al-Islam Mosque, were continued by Qutb al-Din's successor, Iltutmish (r. 1210-35), who also constructed a tomb for himself in the same complex, the exterior and interior of which were almost entirely covered with carved Qur'anic inscriptions. Work on the mosque was continued much later in the 13th century by 'Ala al-Din Khalji (r. 1296-1316), among whose additions were the magnificent Ala'i Darwaza, a gate covered with marble inlay and carved calligraphy.
The tradition of carved calligraphy seems to have died out quite shortly after the reign of 'Ala al-Din Khalji, as stucco replaced stone as the main form of architectural decoration. The fall in the use of carved stone calligraphy was also accompanied by a general decline in the quality of architectural epigraphy (see Z.E. Desai, “Calligraphy: islamic inscriptional art”, in The Impulse to Adorn: studies in traditional indian architecture, Marg Publications, 1982, pp. 115-123). Of course, in this short period in which calligraphy reigned as the supreme form of architectural decoration, there were varieties and developments in style.
The calligraphy on these panels is generally thick and bold, with a largely rectilinear, spacious character. In this regard it is close to the lower, first band on the first storey of the Qutb Minar, where the letter forms are thick and only slightly tapering. Like the frieze on the Qutb Minar, the carving is superbly crisp and has an almost sculptural quality.