Top of page

Manuscript/Mixed Material Levha (panel) in honor of Imam 'Ali

View Enlarged Image

About this Item

Title

  • Levha (panel) in honor of Imam 'Ali

Names

  • Farid al-Din

Created / Published

  • 19th century (?)

Headings

  • -  Calligraphy, Arabic
  • -  Calligraphy, Ottoman
  • -  Calligraphy, Persian
  • -  Manuscripts, Arabic--Washington (D.C.)
  • -  Turkey
  • -  Iran
  • -  Arabic script calligraphy
  • -  Illuminated Islamic manuscripts
  • -  Islamic calligraphy
  • -  Islamic manuscripts

Notes

  • -  Levha (panel) in honor of Imam 'Ali, writen in Arabic with Persian eulogistic quatrain honoring Persian kings Jamshid and Feridun. Typical of 19th-century Ottoman-Turkish calligraphic traditions.
  • -  Dimensions of Written Surface: 23.4 (w) x 15.1 (h) cm
  • -  Executed on a thick beige piece of paper, the calligraphic panel is provided with a frame decorated with painted gold flower motifs. The right and left vertical borders show vestigial traces of white-and-blue marble (ebru or abri) paper, suggesting that the panel at one time was pasted onto a sheet of marble paper and included in an album of calligraphies.
  • -  Immediately below the inscription eulogizing 'Ali appear several lines executed in red (vocalized in blue ink), blue (vocalized in red ink), and black (vocalized in red ink) praising the Imam, the Prophet Muhammad, and God. The four diagonal lines executed in blue ink provide a supplementary eulogistic quatrain in honor of a ruler by drawing a parallel to the great Persian kings Jamshid and Feridun.
  • -  In the lower right corner, the artist Farid al-Din has signed his work with the expression katabahu Farid al-Din ("Farid al-Din wrote this"). Unfortunately, this single calligraphic panel (levha or lawha) is not dated. As levhas are typical of 19th-century Turkish calligraphic traditions, it is quite possible that this piece was executed at the time for a patron with Shi'i inclinations either in Turkey or Iran.
  • -  This single panel praises Muhammad's son-in-law 'Ali and his famous double-edged sword Dhu al-Fiqar, which he inherited from the Prophet, with the topmost statement executed in black ink: "There is no victory except 'Ali [and] there is no sword except Dhu al-Fiqar" (la fath ila 'Ali, la sayf ila Dhu al-Fiqar). The vocalization for this proclamation is executed in red ink.
  • -  Script: various
  • -  1-84-154.18

Medium

  • 1 volume ; 26.2 (w) x 17.3 (h) cm

Repository

  • Library of Congress African and Middle Eastern Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2019714544

Online Format

  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The contents of the Library of Congress Selections of Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions and are free to use and reuse.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, African and Middle East Division, Near East Section Persian Manuscript Collection

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Farid Al-Din. Levha panel in honor of Imam 'Ali. 19th Century ?. Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714544/.

APA citation style:

Farid Al-Din. Levha panel in honor of Imam 'Ali. 19th Century ?. [Manuscript/Mixed Material] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714544/.

MLA citation style:

Farid Al-Din. Levha panel in honor of Imam 'Ali. 19th Century ?. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2019714544/>.