Hilye (Verbal Portrait of the Prophet Muhammad)

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Hilye (Verbal Portrait of the Prophet Muhammad)

Turkey, 1270 A.H. (A.D. 1853-1854)
Manuscripts; folios
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
12 3/8 × 8 in. (31.43 × 20.32 cm) Frame: 23 × 19 × 1 1/2 in. (58.42 × 48.26 × 3.81 cm)
The Edwin Binney, 3rd, Collection of Turkish Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (M.85.237.64)
Art of the Middle East: Islamic and Contemporary
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

The illumination of this elegant page further enhances the beauty of the superb calligraphy....
The illumination of this elegant page further enhances the beauty of the superb calligraphy. The text, in thuluth and ta‘liq scripts, is a hilye, or a verbal portrait of the Prophet Muhammad, describing both his general physical attributes and charismatic nature. As visual representations of the Prophet's visage were often discouraged in Islam, word portraits came to be used, especially in Ottoman Turkey, where they developed into an art form.
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Bibliography

  • Binney, Edwin, 3rd. "Turkish Arts of the Book in the Binney Collection." Arts of Asia 17, no.6 (Nov/Dec 1987): 97-104.
  • Denny, Walter B.  Turkish Treasures from the Collection of Edward Binney, 3rd.  Portland, OR:  Portland Art Museum, 1979.
  • Binney, Edwin, 3rd. "Turkish Arts of the Book in the Binney Collection." Arts of Asia 17, no.6 (Nov/Dec 1987): 97-104.
  • Denny, Walter B.  Turkish Treasures from the Collection of Edward Binney, 3rd.  Portland, OR:  Portland Art Museum, 1979.

  • Pal, Pratapaditya, Thomas W. Lentz, Sheila R. Canby, Edwin Binney, 3rd, Walter B. Denny, and Stephen Markel. "Arts from Islamic Cultures: Los Angeles County Museum of Art." Arts of Asia 17, no. 6 (November/December 1987): 73-130.

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