AN OTTOMAN CALLIGRAPHIC PAINTED WOOD ROUNDEL, TURKEY 19TH-20TH CENTURY

An Ottoman wooden roundel carved with thuluth inscription, gilt on a deep green ground. The roundel bear the following inscriptions: 'Muhammad, peace be upon him' above four names of the prophet.

Calligraphic roundels bearing the names of God, the Prophet Muhammad, the first four caliphs central to Sunni Islam - abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman and 'Ali - and those of the prophet's grandsons Hasan and Husayn were found in Ottoman mosques and tekkes. They were placed in highly visible locations in the sanctuary of mosques, on walls, pendentives or hung from columns, and were either painted directly onto the surface or made of materials such as ceramic or painted wood as in the present examples. 69 cm. diam.