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Fragmentary Ottoman Cenotaph Cover with Qur'anic Verses

Creator Name

Islamic

Cultural Context

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Date

17th-18th century (Ottoman)

About the work

Walters Art Museum Object Description

This cenotaph cover bears calligraphic Qur'anic verses and the shahada of Islam: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet." It would have been used as a cover for a sanduka, a coffin-shaped stone indicating the burial place of an important person. The chevron (zigzag) design was frequently used on kiswa covers commissioned by Ottoman sultans and sent to Mecca every year to adorn the Ka"ba. A square building located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the Ka"ba, which means cube in Arabic, is elegantly draped in a silk and cotton veil and is the holiest shrine in Islam.

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Work details

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Title

Fragmentary Ottoman Cenotaph Cover with Qur'anic Verses

Creator

Islamic

Worktype

textiles

Cultural Context

--

Material

satin

Dimensions

W: 50 13/16 × W: 28 3/8 in. (129 × 72 cm)

Technique

--

Language

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Date

17th-18th century (Ottoman)

Provenance

by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.; Acquired by Henry Walters, Baltimore; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.

Style Period

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Rights

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CC0; GNU Free Documentation License

Inscription

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Location

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Subject

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Topic

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All Works in Curationist’s archives can be reproduced and used freely. How to attribute this Work:

Islamic, Fragmentary Ottoman Cenotaph Cover with Qur'anic Verses, 17th-18th century (Ottoman), Walters Art Museum. CC0, GNU Free Documentation License.

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