Advanced Search
Advanced Search
View: Recto

Album page with calligraphy

Calligrapher: Çömez Mustafa Vâsıf (Ottoman, died 1853)
19th century
Object Place: Turkey

Medium/Technique Ink on colored paper; marbled paper
Dimensions Height x width: 17.8 × 25.9 cm (7 × 10 3/16 in.)
Credit Line Helen and Alice Colburn Fund
Accession Number29.93
CollectionsAsia, Islamic Art
ClassificationsBooks and manuscripts
Ottoman calligraphers often demonstrated their skills by writing different styles and sizes of Arabic script on rectangular sheets of paper, which were then illuminated, mounted on pasteboard with colored and marbled papers, and assembled into albums known as muraqqqaʿ. This example of a calligraphic panel, or qit'a, was composed by Ottoman calligrapher, Çömez Mustafa Vâsıf (d. 1853) using the thuluth style of script for the heading and the naskh style for the three small lines of script. This calligraphic panel, written with black ink on vibrant yellow paper, is bordered by thin pink papers speckled with gold leaf and an outter border made from more ornate and technically complex Ottoman marbled papers.

DescriptionSingle folio; calligraphy in thuluth and naskh on yellow paper
Signed Signed in the naskh script 'Mustafa Vasif'
ProvenanceMiss Elizabeth (Riefstahl) Titzel (b. 1889 - d. 1986), New York; 1929, sold by Miss Elizabeth (Riefstahl) Titzel to the MFA for $5000.00 (total price for 29.56-136). (Accession Date: January 3, 1929)