Walters Ms. W.672, Album of Ottoman calligraphyMuraqqa`مرقع<note type="title" xml:id="n230.000149">Title supplied by cataloger</note>scribeḤamd Allāh al-maʿrūf bi-Ibn al-Shaykhحمد الله المعروف بابن الشيخIbn al-ShaykhḤamd Allāh al-AmāsīḤamd Allāh al-Amāsī, known as Ibn al-Shaykh or Şeyh Hamdullah (d. 926 AH / 1520 CE), was the most important calligrapher of the early Ottoman period.Principal catalogerGacek, AdamCatalogerLandau, AmyCatalogerSmith, SitaEditorBockrath, DianeContributorBarrera, ChristinaContributorEmery, DougContributorHerbert, LynleyContributorNoel, WilliamContributorSimpson, ShreveContributorTabritha, ArielContributorToth, Michael B.ContributorValle, ChiaraConservatorJewell, StephanieConservatorQuandt, AbigailThe Walters Art Museum

Licensed for use under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Access Rights, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/legalcode. It is requested that copies of any published articles based on the information in this data set be sent to the curator of manuscripts, The Walters Art Museum, 600 North Charles Street, Baltimore MD 21201.

This album (muraqqaʿ) of calligraphy in an accordion format was compiled in Ottoman Turkey in the twelfth century AH / eighteenth CE. It consists of leaves bearing fragmentary passages from the Qur’an (chapter 2 [Sūrat al-baqarah], 2:65-68 and chapter 4 [Sūrat al-nisāʾ], 4:103-106); sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (hadith); and two sheets of pen exercises (ḳaralama). The Qur'anic verses and the passages of hadith are written in vocalized naskh and thuluth scripts in black ink. Fol. 5a bears the name of the Ottoman calligrapher Şeyh Hamdullah (Ḥamd Allāh al-Amāsī, d. 926 AH / 1520 CE). Şeyh Hamdullah was the most celebrated calligrapher of his time and influenced subsequent generations of calligraphers. Each page in the album is framed by eighteenth-century marbled borders. The sheepskin binding with central lobed medallion has a central panel filled with chamois leather and probably dates to the twelfth century AH / eighteenth CE.BaltimoreThe Walters Art MuseumW.672The primary language in this manuscript is Arabic.fols. 1b - 6aMuraqqa`مرقع<note type="title" xml:id="n230.000202">Title supplied by cataloger</note>ورحمته لكنتم من الخاسرين ...scribekatabahu Ḥamdu Llāhi al-maʿrūfu /1/ bi-ibni al-shaykhi ḥāmidan li-Llāhi taʿālá wa-muṣalliyan /2/ ʿalá nabīyihi Muḥmammadin wa-ālihi al-ṭāhirīna /3/ ajmaʿīna /4/ wa-musalliman fī awāni shaybihi maʿa ishtiʿāl shaʿrihi wa-irtiʿāsh raʾsihi qaribun mina ardhali [?] al-ʿummá [sic] huwa [?] ibn [?] biḍaʿin [?] wa-thamānina min ʿumrihi /5/ wa-raḥima Allāhu man anṣafa fa-ʿafā wa-naẓara fa-daʿā li-anna al-insāna ḥull [?] bi-al-niqṣān fa-hā anā al-mawṣūf bi-al-nisyāni wa-al-ʿiṣyāni /6/This was written by Ḥamdu Llāh, [who is] known as the sheikh's son, [while] praising God--exalted is he--and praying for his messenger Muhammad and his family, the pure ones, all of them, and praying for their safety. [This was] at the time of his hoariness, as his hair glistened white and his head trembled and he was close to the state of decrepitude, being 80 and some odd years old. May God have mercy on those who act equitably and forgive and those who consider [things] closely and pray, because mankind was made to abide in deficiency and here am I, characterized by forgetfulness and disobedience.Fully vocalized colophon giving the name of the calligrapher, Ḥamd Allāh al-maʿrūf bi-Ibn al-Shaykh, and stating that it was executed when he was 80 years old

Mounted on thin pasteboard

Foliation: 1030.023.0Leaves have been numbered 1-5 for digitization purposes; text apears only on one side of the conjoint leaf

None

Written in calligraphic, vocalized naskh and thuluth scripts in black inkDecorated marbled borders; polychrome illuminated frames; polychrome floral motifs on a gold ground; illuminated verse markersBindingBindingThis sheepskin-covered binding, with central lobed medallion and central pane filled with chamois leather, was produced in Ottoman Turkey and probably dates to the twelfth century AH / eighteenth CE.Calligraphic page with verses from chapter 2 of the Qur'anChapter 2 (Sūrat al-baqarah), 2:65-68Album page of calligraphyThis calligraphic page with verses from chapter 2 (Sūrat al-baqarah) 2:65-68 is framed by an outer border of marbled paper.Calligraphic page with verses from chapter 4 of the Qur'anChapter 4 (Sūrat al-nisāʾ), 4:103-106Album page of calligraphyThis calligraphic page with verses from chapter 4 (Sūrat al-nisāʾ) 4:103-106 is framed by an outer border of marbled paper.Page of Ottoman calligraphyAlbum page of calligraphyThis page is inscribed with passages from hadith literature (accounts of what the Prophet Muhammad did or said) and is written in naskh and thuluth scripts. Naskh, the smaller hand, is used for the text on the lower portion, while thuluth (the larger hand) is used for the top lines.Page of Ottoman calligraphyAlbum page of calligraphyPage of Ottoman calligraphyAlbum page of calligraphyPage of Ottoman calligraphyAlbum page of calligraphyPage of Ottoman calligraphyAlbum page of calligraphyThis page bears the name of the celebrated Ottoman calligrapher Şeyh Hamdullah (Ḥamd Allāh al-Amāsī, d. 926 AH / 1520 CE). The colophon may be translated into English as follows: This was written by Ḥamdu Llāh, [who is] known as the sheikh's son, [while] praising God--exalted is he--and praying for his messenger Muhammad and his family, the pure ones, all of them, and praying for their safety. [This was] at the time of his hoariness as his hair glistened white and his head trembled and he was close to the state of decrepitude, being 80 and some odd years old. May God have mercy on those who act equitably and forgive and those who consider [things] closely and pray, because mankind was made to abide in deficiency and here am I, characterized by forgetfulness and disobedience.Page of pen exercisesAlbum page of calligraphyThis is a sheet of pen exercises (ḳaralama). Such pen exercises were commonly collected in albums. In their technique and design pattern, the borders of this page are comparable to ebru (marbled paper) made by Hatib Mehmed Efendi (d. 1187 AH / 1773 CE), a celebrated Ottoman artist.Page of pen exercisesAlbum page of calligraphyThis is a sheet of pen exercises (ḳaralama). Such pen exercises were commonly collected in albums. In their technique and design pattern, the borders of this page are comparable to ebru (marbled paper) made by Hatib Mehmed Efendi (d. 1187 AH / 1773 CE), a celebrated Ottoman artist.BindingBindingThis sheepskin-covered binding, with central lobed medallion and central pane filled with chamois leather, was produced in Ottoman Turkey and probably dates to the twelfth century AH / eighteenth CE.

Probably dates to the twelfth century AH / eighteenth CE; sheepskin-covered boards; central oval medallion; pendants and cornerpieces; gold-painted border; central panel filled with chamois leather

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