SIGNED SEYYID HASAN AL-'ASHQI (ASKI), A STUDENT OF 'UTHMAN AL-SHAWQI (SEVKI), OTTOMAN TURKEY, DATED AH 1272/1856-57 AD

Details

A MINIATURE COPY OF AN’AM SHARIF
SIGNED SEYYID HASAN AL-'ASHQI (ASKI), A STUDENT OF 'UTHMAN AL-SHAWQI (SEVKI), OTTOMAN TURKEY, DATED AH 1272/1856-57 AD
Prayers, Arabic and Ottoman Turkish manuscript on paper, 110ff. plus two-fly-leaves, each folio with 11ll. of neat black naskh in text panels laid down between gold borders and black and red rules on wide margins with gold floral illumination, catchwords, gold verse roundels, titles in white reserved against gold, occasional important words and phrases picked out in red, opening folio with gold and polychrome rococo-style illuminated headpiece, six hilyehs in the text also similarly illuminated, illustrations of Mecca, Medina and the Dome of the Rock as well as depictions of the Prophet's foot-print, ewer, basin and robe, the 99 names of God written on several pages within a hexagonal lattice, colophon signed and dated, in original brown morocco binding with cusped flap decorated in two colours of gold with sunburst motif, green paper doublures, in original slip case
Text panel 5 7/8 x 3 ¼in. (5.8 x 3.6cm.); folio 4 ¼ x 3in. (10.6 x 7.3cm.)

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Lot Essay

This beautifully preserved prayer book is remarkable for its small size, and for the fact that every folio has margins illuminated with gold floral motifs. Two other Qur’ans are known to have been copied by the same calligrapher, Seyyid Hasan Al-'Ashqi. One sold at Sotheby’s, 11 April 1988, lot 126 and the other at Christie's, London, 20 October 1992, lot 256. The calligrapher’s master, Seyyid Hafiz 'Uthman al-Shawqi (Sevki) (d. AH 1263/1847 AD), is known for his mastery in jali thuluth. An example of his work is preserved in the Topkapi.

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