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Turkish, Turkey

Tomb Cover, 1700s

Now On View

Description

Maker

Culture

Turkish

Title

Tomb Cover

Year

1700s

Medium

Silk compound satin weave

Materials/Techniques

Materials

Techniques

Dimensions

Length: 93.3 cm (36 3/4 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Four different repeating inscriptions: (Top narrow band) 1) Lo! Allah and his angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute them with a worthy salutation. 2) O Allah! Bless Muhammed and his family and his companions and (grant them) peace.3.Muhammed is not the father of any man among you, but he is the messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets.4. There is no god but Allah; Muhammed is the Prophet of Allah.

Place

Turkey

Type

Credit

Museum Works of Art Fund

Object Number

46.504

Projects & Publications

Publications

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Asian Art Galleries

This soft, velvety textile might have been made to cover the tomb or shrine of an important Ottoman ruler. Olive green silk serves as a regal background for chevron-shaped bands of white inscriptions. The wide bands encompass intricate thuluth jali script, and the narrow bands border simpler thuluth script that reads “Do not name the deceased but instead present orthodox statements of faith” in Arabic. Muslims consider Arabic to be the divine language.

This work is similar in function and design to kiswa textiles that cover the Ka’ba, Islam’s holiest shrine, located in Mecca. Across Muslim cultures, there is a long history of artists making various kinds of objects in praise of Allah, or God.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Tomb Cover with the accession number of 46.504. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.