Qur'anic calligraphy executed before Sultan Abdülmecid (r. 1 - Lot 104

Qur'anic calligraphy executed before Sultan Abdülmecid (r. 1839-61), Ottoman Turkey, dated 1263 H / 1846, signed Mustafa 'Izzet Arabic calligraphy on paper with 9 horizontal lines in naskhi script and 7 oblique lines in ta'liq script. The text, punctuated by two floral medallions illuminated in gold and polychrome, is taken from the Qur'an: Sura al-Hajj, XXII, verses 28-32. The ta'liq text in the lower right-hand corner indicates that this calligraphy was executed by al-Hajj Mustafa 'Izzet before the second Prince of the Believers 'Abd al-Majid Khan in 1263 AH / 1846. Mounted as an album page on slightly bluish card stock with gilded borders. Framed. Sight calligraphy size: 17.8 x 8.6 cm; frame size: 29.8 x 20.6 cm Traces of mounting on margin, tiny stains. Mustafa 'Izzet Efendi (1801 - 1876) was a great 19th-century Ottoman artist. An accomplished composer and musician, he was noticed by Sultan Mahmud II, who invited him to study at the Sultan's court for three years. He trained in calligraphy under Mustafa Wasif and Yesarizade Mustafa Izzet Efendi. Appreciated by the sultan, he left the glitz and demands of court life for a life of mysticism. Later, he was reintegrated into the Sublime Porte by Mahmud II's successor, Abdülmecid, who entrusted him with functions in justice and religion. In 1850, he was appointed calligraphy master to the royal princes. He was at the origin of the Kadiasker school and had several students, including Muhammad Shafiq. His work on paper is known in several collections, such as a Koran dated 1253 H in the Sakip Sabanci collection in Istanbul and another dated 1259 H in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul (n°408). He was also responsible for monumental inscriptions at Hagia Sophia and the Sinan Pasha mosque. On our page, the reference to copying the text before Sultan Abdülmecid underlines the calligrapher's particularly important position at the Ottoman court and the link that may have united him with the sultans. This wording appears on a qita signed by him sold at Christie's in London on October 6, 2011 (lot 262). Expert: Camille CELIER