- 56
A unique qasida al-burda copied by Muhiddin Al-Amasi, Turkey, 15th-16th century
Description
- Ink on Paper
Provenance
Literature
Condition
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
The poem in the present work’s colophon also praises Muhiddin al-Amasi’s hand. After publishing this poem in his Menakıb-i Hunerveran (‘Epic Deeds of Artists’), Mustafa Ali, the well-known Ottoman historian, counted him among the leading ‘seven masters of the Rumis’ which in his opinion were ‘…Shaykh Hamdullah of Amasya, Dede Chelebi, Muhiddin of Amasya, Jamal of Amasya, Abdullah of Amasya, Ahmed Karahisari and Sherbetchizade Ibrahim’ (E. Akin-Kivanc, Ed. Trans., Mustafa Ali’s Epic Deeds of Artists, Boston, 2011.
Due to a eulogy written in the colophon with smaller naskh script in praise of Celaloglu and the characteristics of the script, Ekrem Hakki Ayverdi has recorded this manuscript as the only known work of Muhiddin al-Amasi which has consequently been accepted by the leading authorities on calligraphy (M. Serin, Hattat Seyh Hamdullah, Istanbul, 2007, p.19). Except for the present Qasidat Al-Burda, no other work by Muhiddin al-Amasi is known to exist in any private or public collections. Formerly belonging to the personal collection of the leading scholar and architect Ekrem Hakki Ayverdi (1899-1984), Muhiddin al-Amasi’s Al-Burda represents a prized addition to any collection of calligraphy.