QUR'AN

SIGNED MUHAMMAD HILMI A STUDENT OF 'UTHMAN KNOWN AS DAMAD 'AFIF EFENDI, OTTOMAN TURKEY, DATED 25 JUMADA I AH 1216/3 OCTOBER 1801 AD

Details

QUR'AN
SIGNED MUHAMMAD HILMI A STUDENT OF 'UTHMAN KNOWN AS DAMAD 'AFIF EFENDI, OTTOMAN TURKEY, DATED 25 JUMADA I AH 1216/3 OCTOBER 1801 AD
Arabic manuscript on paper, 321ff. plus 4 fly-leaves, each folio with 15ll. of elegant black naskh, gold and polychrome rosette verse markers, within black-ruled gold frame, illuminated marginal markers, sura headings in white naskh in illuminated cartouches, catchwords, with finely illuminated opening bifolio preceded by tables with suras and hizbs, colophon stating that this is the 35th mushaf of the scribe, in original restored gilt binding with flap, with gold-speckled doublures and original slip-case
Text panel 3 5/8 x 2in. (9.4 x 5cm.); folio 6 3/8 x 3½in. (16.2 x 9cm.)

Lot Essay

This Qur'an was copied by Muhammad known as Hilmi, a pupil of Sayyid 'Uthman Efendi also known as Damad al-'Afif ('the son-in-law of al-Afif') who died on Safar 23 AH 1220/May 23 1805 AD. 'Uthman Efendi came from a family of calligraphers which included the famous Hafiz 'Uthman. He married the daughter of another calligrapher, Ibrahim 'Afif (d. AH 1181/1767-68 AD). He was said to have been a large man with somewhat erratic behaviour which earned him the name Deli 'Uthman, or Crazy 'Uthman (Letters in Gold, Ottoman Calligraphy from the Sakip Sabanci Collection, Istanbul, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, No. 20, p.104). A Qur'an by 'Uthman Efendi is published in Letters in Gold (op.cit. pp.104-05).

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