Lot 49: AN ILLUMINATED DEVOTIONAL SCROLL DEPICTING THE MASJID AL-HARAM AND THE 99 NAMES OF ALLAH, DATED 1309 A.H.

AN ILLUMINATED DEVOTIONAL SCROLL DEPICTING THE MASJID AL-HARAM AND THE 99 NAMES OF ALLAH, DATED 1309 A.H.

he uppermost section contains an illuminated headpiece or sarlowh with a scalloped arch filled with floral and foliate motifs in gold, blue, and polychrome pigments. Centred within this is a cartouche containing the Basmala in stylised white script. Below the headpiece are horizontal bands of large Thuluth calligraphy executed in gold. Two large grids contain the ninety-nine names of Allah (Asma al-Husna), written in various coloured inks including blue, red, and black within individual diamond-shaped compartments. The central register features a hand-painted architectural vignette of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca. The Kaaba is shown at the centre, surrounded by the maqams, minarets, and the arched porticos of the mosque complex, set against a background of palm trees and hills. The entire composition is enclosed within wide vertical borders containing continuous Quranic calligraphy in black ink. The piece appears to be a high-quality lithograph that has been subsequently hand-finished with pigments and extensive gold leaf. A single line of black script at the bottom centre reads كـتـبـه مـطـبـع الـرّضـوي ١٣٠٩, translating as written or printed at the Radawi Press, 1309.

67.6 by 30cm