LOT NOT PRESENTED LIVE. PRIOR REGISTRATION NECESSARY TO BID WITH A DEPOSIT OF € 6,000 PLEASE CONTACT US BY EMAIL : [email protected] Beautiful Ottoman Koran copied by Kazasker Mustafa 'Izzet Efendi Ink, polychrome pigments and gold on paper. Turkey, Istanbul, dated 1283 AH / 1866-67 AD H. 19 cm- W. 12.4 cm- D. 3.6 cm AR This high-quality Qur'an ends with various prayers (including one dedicated to Sultan 'Abdülaziz), then is signed by the 'slave of the household of the cloak' (bende-i al-i 'aba) Seyyid 'Izzet Mustafa, and dated AH 1283 (1866-67). This was the signature of the renowned calligrapher Kazasker Mustafa 'Izzet Efendi. Born in Tosya in 1216 AH (1801), he arrived in Istanbul with his mother after the death of his father. After attracting the attention of Sultan Mahmud II with his perfect recitation of the Qur'an, he joined the teachings of the Palace, and was trained in calligraphy by the master Yesarizade Mustaf Izzet Efendi. He went on to become one of the great calligraphers of his time, was also an accomplished ney player, and obtained the position of Chief Military Judge (Kazasker) of Rumelia. He died in 1293 (1876). For his full biography, see: M.Ugur Derman, Letters in Gold: Ottoman Calligraphy from the Sakıp Sabancı Collection, Istanbul, New York, 1998, pp. 116-118. The manuscript opens with a bifolio richly illuminated in polychrome and gold with mandorles, arabesques and abundant floral motifs, friezes of interlacing and floral cartouches, framing the first verses of the Qur'an written in clouds on a gilded background. The rest of the manuscript consists of text in fine naskh calligraphy, spread over 13 lines per page within gilded framing fillets, with delicately illuminated sura titles and marginal vignettes. The beautiful brown leather binding is deeply embossed with mandorla decoration and gilt decoration on the backgrounds, forming rinceaux and tchi clouds in negative. It features a Qur'anic verse on the sertab (the part covering the edge) (56:79 "May only the purified touch"). It is accompanied by its sleeve, which also features a rich embossed and gilded decoration. We would like to thank Will Kwiatkowski for his help in identifying and describing these Ottoman manuscripts.