Add to Collection

Add this item to an existing or new collection.
Harvard Art Museums
Incorrect Username, Email, or Password
This object does not yet have a description.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2004.61
Title
May God give you glory in both worlds
Classification
Calligraphy
Work Type
calligraphy
Date
19th century
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Türkiye (Turkey)
Culture
Ottoman
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/57662

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Composition on horse chestnut leaf
Dimensions
21.5 x 10.7 cm (8 7/16 x 4 3/16 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Stuart Cary Welch in memory of Annemarie Schimmel
Accession Year
2004
Object Number
2004.61
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request.

Descriptions

Description
This is an example of a rarefied and extremely painstaking genre of calligraphy in which a dried leaf was used for the support. In this case, the leaf appears to be from a horse chestnut tree. Written in a majestic thuluth, the Arabic inscription is beautifully composed in an oval to fill the lower and broader part of the leaf. Most Ottoman leaf calligraphies employ gold ink. Microscopic examination of this leaf revealed no pigment whatsoever, which may explain its extremely fragile condition.

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu