Niyazi Efendi
Hilye (Verbal Portrait of the Prophet Muhammad)1270 A.H. (A.D. 1853-1854)

Not on view

Illuminated manuscript page with Arabic calligraphy on a honey-gold central medallion surrounded by blue floral borders and gold arabesque panels

Artist or Maker: Niyazi Efendi
Title: Hilye (Verbal Portrait of the Prophet Muhammad)
Place Made: Turkey
Date Made: 1270 A.H. (A.D. 1853-1854)
Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions: 12 3/8 × 8 in. (31.43 × 20.32 cm) Frame: 23 × 19 × 1 1/2 in. (58.42 × 48.26 × 3.81 cm)
Credit Line: The Edwin Binney, 3rd, Collection of Turkish Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Accession Number: M.85.237.64
Classification: Manuscripts
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: 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.
Selected Bibliography: 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.
Binney, Edwin, 3rd. "Turkish Arts of the Book in the Binney Collection." Arts of Asia 17, no.6 (Nov/Dec 1987): 97-104.

Niyazi Efendi
Hilye (Verbal Portrait of the Prophet Muhammad)1270 A.H. (A.D. 1853-1854)

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Niyazi Efendi
Title: Hilye (Verbal Portrait of the Prophet Muhammad)
Place Made: Turkey
Date Made: 1270 A.H. (A.D. 1853-1854)
Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions: 12 3/8 × 8 in. (31.43 × 20.32 cm) Frame: 23 × 19 × 1 1/2 in. (58.42 × 48.26 × 3.81 cm)
Credit Line: The Edwin Binney, 3rd, Collection of Turkish Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Accession Number: M.85.237.64
Classification: Manuscripts
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: 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.
Selected Bibliography: 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.
Binney, Edwin, 3rd. "Turkish Arts of the Book in the Binney Collection." Arts of Asia 17, no.6 (Nov/Dec 1987): 97-104.