PROBABLY OTTOMAN EGYPT, 19TH CENTURY

Details

A SILK AND METAL-THREAD EMBROIDERED ROUNDEL
PROBABLY OTTOMAN EGYPT, 19TH CENTURY
The black silk ground embroidered with gold-thread calligraphy, set within a thick gold border, the remains of surrounding material around the edge, unlined
25 ¼in. (64.1cm.) diam.

Engraved

al-Mutawwaj bi'l-karama al-muzallal bi'l-ghamama salla Allah alayhim sallama wa 'ala alihi wa sahabihi ajamayn - 'Oh the one crowned with prayers! Oh the one shaded by clouds! The prayers and intercession of God upon him and his family and his companions'

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Lot Essay

The content of the inscription on this roundel refers to the Prophet Muhammad. Based on this, it is likely that this comes from a textile intended for Medina, associated with the Prophet's tomb (Rawda al-Mutaharra). Unlike textiles intended for Mecca, which tended to be more Qur'anic in content, the inscriptions on these textiles are more invocatory, calling down blessings on the Prophet and his companions.

In the Topkapi collection are several small panels invoking blessings not only on the Prophet, but also 'Umar and Abu Bakr - buried alongside the Prophet - and Fatima al-Zahra, buried nearby (Hülya Tezcan, Sacred Covers of Islam's Holy Shrines, Istanbul, 2017, no.99, p.356). The distinctive attenuated calligraphy on this roundel is also similar to a calligraphic band associated with Rawdah al-Mutaharah also in the collection, which also has on it the name of the reigning Ottoman Sultan, Selim III, and the date AH 1206 / 1792 AD (Tezcan, op.cit., p.345, no.90).

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