Lot 354: AN OTTOMAN SILK TALISMANIC CLOTH OR DEVOTIONAL HANDKERCHIEF, 19TH CENTURY

A 19th-century Ottoman silk talismanic cloth or devotional handkerchief, likely of Turkish origin. The square textile is composed of light-coloured, thin-woven silk, which has been inscribed with Arabic calligraphy in dark brown ink. The calligraphic composition is arranged with a central panel surrounded by four rectangular borders. The central panel features the text of Quran Surah al-Ahzab (33:56): Inna Allaha wa mala’ikatahu yusalluna ‘ala al-nabiyi (Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet). The bottom border bears the inscription Khirqa-i Hazrat-i Fakhr-i ‘Alam, referring to the Mantle of the Prophet Muhammad, also known as the Khirqa-i Sharif. The right border bears the inscription Na’l-i Sharif-i Mutahhar-i Mabrur, referring to the Noble Sandal of the Prophet. The top and left borders contain further pious inscriptions and attributes related to the person of the Prophet. The arrangement suggests the cloth was intended as a protective talisman or a devotional souvenir related to the Amanat-i Muqaddasa (Sacred Relics) housed in the Topkapi Palace. The script is rendered in a clear Ottoman hand, characteristic of 19th-century devotional art.