Turkish Rugs the O'Connell Guide

An Ottoman Silk embroidered Tomb Cover of the Shrine of the Prophet in Medina With the Tughra of Mahmud II

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JBOC Comments:

ARTS OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD
SALE L05221 LOT 12
SESSION 1 | 12 Oct 05 10:30 AM.
London, New Bond Street
AN OTTOMAN EMBROIDERED SILK CURTAIN OR COVER FROM THE TOMB OF THE PROPHET IN MEDINA, WITH THE TUGHRA OF SULTAN MAHMUD II (1808-1839)
50,000—80,000 GBP
Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 84,000 GBP
MEASUREMENTS
measurements note
240 by 130cm.
DESCRIPTION
of rectangular form, the black silk ground embroidered with silver, copper and silver-gilt metal threads, with a silver-gilt tughra of Mahmud II surrounded by a laurel wreath below garlands and swags flanked by calligraphic roundels, above a diamond-shaped panel of red silk densely embroidered with thuluth inscriptions and rays of light, all enclosed by a border of chevroned leaves with rosette corners and bowed ribbons above and below
PROVENANCE
From a Private Collection

Seen on www.Sothebys.com

CATALOGUE NOTE
inscriptions:
within the diamond-shaped panel at the top:

As salawat was salam 'alayka ya khatimal nabiyyeen
"Prayers and peace be upon thee, O last one of the Prophets"

immediately below this:

Katabahu Mahmud bin Abdul Hamid Khan
"Written by Mahmud b. Abdulhamid Khan"

within the two roundels the shahada followed by the signature of the calligrapher "Izzet"

Below this is the Sultan's tughra, beside it his honorific title Adli.

A uniquely important early silk curtain or cover from the tomb of the Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him.

The interior walls of the Shrine of the Prophet in the Mosque of the Prophet are covered with a curtain of brocade similar to that which surrounds the Ka'ba. During the Ottoman period it was customary for the Sultan to send together with silver and gold coins, the curtains (kiswa) and belt (hizam) for the Haram al-Sharif. Unlike the Ka'ba kiswa which was changed every year the curtains in the Shrine were only replaced on the occasion of a new Sultan ascending the throne or due to wear and tear. The old curtains were returned to the seat of the caliphate in Istanbul where they were used to cover the tombs of the Sultans or distributed amongst nobles and dignitaries.

The baroque style of embroidery on this curtain is typical of the era of Sultan Mahmud II with the characteristic garlands, ribbons and rays of light. The European traveller J. L. Burckhardt in his early nineteenth-century account of Medina mentions the curtain of the shrine as being 'interwoven with silver flowers and arabesques'.

The curtain not only has the tughra of Mahmud II but also his honorific signature Adli, indicating Mahmud's involvement in the design of the curtain. Mahmud II was know to have a particular interest in calligraphy and was an accomplished calligrapher himself. This curtain bears the work of two other important calligraphers of the period, Kadi Askar Mustafa Izzet (1801-1876) who was responsible for the shahada and Mustafa Rakim (1757-1826) who designed the tughra.

There are four similar curtains from the reign of Mahmud II in the Topkapi Saray Museum all with the distinctive baroque style of embellishment. One example in particular has a closely related design with the same adornment, inscriptions and tughra (see Tezcan 1996, p.133). However unlike our curtain the Topkapi curtains are all on a green silk ground. Dr Hulya Tezcan, Curator of Textiles at the Topkapi Saray, has suggested that our black ground curtain was almost certainly used to cover the tomb of the Prophet, whilst the other curtains were hung on the surrounding walls. This theory is further supported by the top inscription of 'As Salawat was salem 'alayka ya khatimal nabiyyeen' [Prayers and peace be upon thee, O last one of the Prophets].