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Album of Calligraphies Including Poetry and Prophetic Traditions (Hadith)

ca. 1500
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 450
This album contains samples written by Shaykh Hamdullah, the most famous Ottoman calligrapher. The text comes from the Hadith, the compilation of the Prophet Muhammad's words and deeds that is an important source for moral and legal guidance in the Islamic tradition. On each page, several lines of a small script (naskh) are framed by one or two lines in a larger script (thuluth or muhaqqaq) and then pasted onto sheets of marbleized paper, each with a different pattern.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Album of Calligraphies Including Poetry and Prophetic Traditions (Hadith)
  • Calligrapher: Shaikh Hamdullah ibn Mustafa Dede (Turkish, Amasya ca. 1436–1520 Istanbul)
  • Date: ca. 1500
  • Geography: Made in Turkey, probably Istanbul
  • Medium: Main support: ink, watercolor, and gold on paper
    Margins: ink, watercolor, and gold on marbled paper
    Binding: leather and gold
  • Dimensions: H. 12 5/8 in. (32.1 cm)
    W. 9 3/8 in. (23.8 cm)
  • Classification: Codices
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Edwin Binney 3rd and Edward Ablat Gifts, 1982
  • Object Number: 1982.120.3
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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