Lot 331 A CALLIGRAPHIC BLACK KISWA TEXTILE FRAGMENT, SAUDIA ARABIA, 20TH CENTURY

A fragment of the inner curtain (Kiswa) of the Kaaba, woven in luminous black-toned silk against a deep black ground. The textile is articulated by elegant, undulating bands that run its full length, framing devotional inscriptions in finely woven script. The inscriptions -Kalimat al-Tawhid: “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. -It further bears the praises: “Glory is to Allah and praise is to Him; Glory is to Allah, the Most Great,” along with the supplication “Ya Hannan, Ya Mannan” (“O Most Compassionate, O Most Generous Bestower”). 143 by 188 cm