Ottoman Turkey
third quarter of the 19th century
gold and silver on black-coated paper
written in jali thulth
33.2 x 60.5cm
Although the composition – an Arabic aphorism which reads ‘God will help you in all matters’ – is signed by Sultan ‘Abdulaziz, it is most probably not his own, as he was not known for the quality of his calligraphy.
N.F. Safwat, The Art of the Pen. Calligraphy of the 14th to 20th Centuries, The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, volume V, London 1996, cat.95, pp.160–61.