LOT NOT PRESENTED LIVE. - Lot 24

LOT NOT PRESENTED LIVE. PRIOR REGISTRATION REQUIRED TO BID WITH A €6,000 DEPOSIT PLEASE CONTACT US BY EMAIL: LYON@DEBAECQUE.FR Beautiful Ottoman Koran copied by Kazasker Mustafa 'Izzet Efendi Ink, polychrome pigments and gold on paper. Turkey, Istanbul, dated 1283 AH / 1866-67 AD H. 19 cm- W. 12.4 cm- D. 3.6 cm AR This high-quality Qur'an ends with various prayers (including one dedicated to Sultan 'Abdülaziz), then is signed by the "slave of the household of the cloak" (bende-i al-i 'aba) Seyyid 'Izzet Mustafa, and dated 1283 AH (1866-67 AD). This was the signature of the renowned calligrapher Kazasker Mustafa 'Izzet Efendi. Born in Tosya in 1216 A.H. (1801), he arrived in Istanbul with his mother after his father's death. After attracting the attention of Sultan Mahmud II with his perfect recitation of the Koran, he joined the Palace teachings, and was trained in calligraphy by the master Yesarizade Mustaf Izzet Efendi. He went on to become one of the great calligraphers of his time, was also an accomplished ney player, and obtained the position of Chief Military Judge (Kazasker) of Rumelia, He died in 1293 (1876). For his full biography, see M.Ugur Derman, Letters in Gold: Ottoman Calligraphy from the Sakıp Sabancı Collection, Istanbul, New York, 1998, pp. 116-118. The manuscript opens with a bifolio richly illuminated in polychrome and gold with mandorles, arabesques and abundant floral motifs, friezes of interlacing and floral cartouches, framing the first verses of the Koran written in clouds on a gilded background. The remainder of the manuscript consists of text in fine naskh calligraphy, spread over 13 lines per page within gilded framing fillets, with delicately illuminated sura titles and marginal vignettes. The handsome brown leather binding is deeply embossed with mandorla motifs, and gilded on the backgrounds with scrolls and tchi clouds in negative. It features a Qur'anic verse on the sertab (the part covering the edge) (56:79 "Let only the purified touch"). It comes with its own pouch, also featuring a rich gilded and embossed decoration. We would like to thank Will Kwiatkowski for his help in identifying and describing these Ottoman manuscripts.