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Ottoman Diploma in Calligraphy (ijāzah)
Ottoman period
1825 A.D./ 1241 A.H.
Object Place: Turkey
Medium/Technique
Ink, color and gold on paper; leather binding with marbled paper.
Dimensions
Height x length: 21.1 × 12 × 0.5 cm (8 5/16 × 4 3/4 × 3/16 in.)
Credit Line
Helen and Alice Colburn Fund
Accession Number29.135
CollectionsAsia, Islamic Art
ClassificationsCalligraphy
Books and manuscripts
Books and manuscripts
It is a common practice amongst calligraphers to produce a final work as their ijazah or icazetname, diploma or certification. But icazetnames are not simply works of art, but also historical documents in their own right. These pages, near the end of this ijazah booklet, also include other texts, including one that mentions this calligrapher’s teachers. There’s also a particular expression of gratitude to God: Thanks be to God who created tablets and pens and taught humanity what they know.
DescriptionFour folios; calligraphy in naskh and non-standard script; leather binding with flap.
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)