The Holy Shrines of Medina and Mecca, Ottoman Balkans, signe - Lot 125

The Holy Shrines of Medina and Mecca, Ottoman Balkans, signed Shumnî Yûsuf and dated 1873 Ink drawing depicting the first two Holy Places of Islam: on the left, the Mosque of the Prophet (al-Masjid an-Nabawî) in Medina and on the right, the Great Mosque of Mecca (al-Masjid al-Haram) centered on the Ka'aba. Surrounding each shrine are several architectural aediculae, with mountains in the background. Both drawings are framed with floral borders and margins illuminated in gold and gouache. In the lower left-hand corner, signature of the artist Shumnî Yûsuf and date 1290 H / 1873. Framed. Sight size: 23 x 35 cm Some stains and folds. The town of Shumen, known as Şumnu in the Ottoman period, and from which the artist of this drawing seems to have originated, was an important center for provincial Ottoman book art, particularly for the copying of Korans. Eight Koran manuscripts copied in this town in modern-day Bulgaria are held in the Khalili Collection in London. Bibliography : STANLEY, Tim, 'The Shumen Phenomenon' in Coll. The Decorated Word: Qur'ans of the 17th to 19th Centuries: Part Two, 2009, pp. 222-233.