Page 184 - ART OF THE ISLAMIC AND INDIAN WORLDS Carpets, Ceramics Objects, Christie's London Oct..27, 2022

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A SILK AND METAL-THREAD CALLIGRAPHIC PANEL (KISWA) The Maqam Ibrahim marks the spot were Ibrahim is reputed to have stood
FROM THE MAQAM IBRAHIM IN MECCA while constructing the Kaaba. Originally adjacent to it, it was moved to a
COMMISSIONED BY SULTAN 'ABD AL-HAMID (R.1876-1909) spot 10m distant following the conquest of Mecca in AH 8/629-30 AD,
OTTOMAN EGYPT, DATED AH 1299/1881-82 AD before being covered by the caliph al-Mahdi and then embellished by his
With a square lower half tapering towards the top, the black silk ground successors. Like the Ka’ba itself, the Maqam Ibrahim has historically been
applied in silver-thread with several calligraphic panels of elegant naskh covered with textile panels embroidered with Qu’ranic verses, the annual
inscriptions against a dense floral ground, columns in the lower section replacement of which was a duty which from 1517 fell to the Ottoman
6ft.5in. x 4ft.1in. (195 x 125cm.) Sultans. The verses on this particular kiswa are taken from parts of the
£70,000-100,000 US$81,000-110,000 Qur’an which discuss the importance of Ibrahim and Ishmael, as well as the
€80,000-110,000 importance of Hajj as a duty on all Muslims.
Several maqam Ibrahim covers from various periods survive in the Topkapi
PROVENANCE:
Anon sale, Sotheby's London, 25 April 1996, lot 174 palace museum, including one with identical inscriptions dated to AH
1306/1888 AD (H. Tezcan, Sacred Covers of Islam’s Holy Shrines, Istanbul.
INSCRIPTIONS:
2017, p. 304). An apparent difference between these two textiles is that
Across the top: part of Qur'an sura 22 verse 26
the example which Tezcan records has polychrome backing within the
Below in the tympanum of the arch: part of Qur'an 2:260
cartouches: however, on close inspection it is apparent that traces of
In the large cartouche: part of Qur'an 3:97
On the sides of the lowest cartouche: names of Hasan and Husayn this remain on the present lot, but that they have either been removed or
In the cartouche also: ...ibn al-sultan ahmad khan khallada allah khilafatahu corroded. In the Khalili collection there is a complete four-panel kiswa dated
wa-'ayyada b'il-'adl saltanatahu ila intiha' al-zaman wa-nihayat al-dawran sana AH 1268/1851-52 AD with very similar decoration (various authors, The
1299 '...son of al-Sultan Ahmad Khan, may God perpetuate his caliphate and Khalili Collections [online], “A Complete Kiswah for the Maqam Ibrahim”).
support his sultanate with justice until the end of time and the finish of the age, Another example, dated to AH 1334/1915-16 AD sold in these rooms, 10 th
year 1299 (1881-2).'
October 2000, lot 25.
182 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty 183
fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol. Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.