Lot 146: A GILT-INSCRIBED WHITE JADE CALLIGRAPHIC PLAQUE, PERSIA, 18TH OR 19TH CENTURY

This rectangular plaque is carved from a semi-translucent, milky-white nephrite jade with rounded edges. The front face features two registers of Arabic calligraphy executed in intaglio and highlighted with gold gilding. A single horizontal line separates the two rows. The upper register contains the Basmala invocation: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم (In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful). The lower register contains a portion of Quranic verse from Surah Al-Saff (61:13): نصر من الله وفتح قريب (Victory from Allah and an imminent conquest). The calligraphic fields are accented with gilded clusters of dots and diacritical marks. The stone exhibits a waxy luster and natural dark inclusions. The reverse is undecorated.

6 x 3.5cm