Lot 132: A LARGE CARVED CARNELIAN CALLIGRAPHIC TALISMANIC PLAQUE IN THE FORM OF A MIHRAB, PERSIA, 19TH CENTURY

An Islamic calligraphic talismanic plaque, possibly Qajar Persian or Ottoman Turkish, dating to the 18th or 19th century. The piece is carved from a single piece of carnelian chalcedony, displaying a deep reddish-orange colour with natural yellowish-banded inclusions concentrated at the apex. The plaque is shaped as a mihrab (prayer niche) featuring a stepped, ogival arch terminating in a pointed finial. The entire front face is deeply intaglio-carved with Arabic calligraphy arranged in several registers. The uppermost section contains the first part of the Shahada (La ilaha illa Allah). The central field is decorated with muthanna (mirror-image) calligraphy arranged in a symmetrical, diamond-shaped lattice pattern. The lower registers include the Bismillah and other pious phrases in Thuluth or Naskh script.

L: 8cm