Panel with an Inscription in the Form of a Tuğra and a Picture of a Bektaşi Cap

The inscription is written in gold on a black ground and reads, ‘O the exalted Haydar Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli, may God sanctify his secret,’ composed in the form of a tuğra. To the right is a picture of a Bektaşi cap with a green turban set on a stand. Under the stand is the figure of a scalloped twelve-sided teslim taşı (submission stone) containing the words, ‘Ya meded ‘Ali’ (Give succour, O Ali). In the lower left appears the signature of Abdülfettah Efendi and at the lower right the date AH 1284. The corners of the panel are decorated with gold scrolling leaves, and in the upper left is a gilded bouquet. The corners of the wide outer border are decorated with curving gold leaves, bouquets and curving bands. This panel by Abdülfettah Efendi (d. 1896) is an exquisite example of his work. The calligrapher was born on the island of Chios and educated in Istanbul. He went on to work as a civil servant and design coins. He was sent to Vienna and Paris to learn how to make watermarks. He wrote inscriptions in jali thuluth for monumental buildings in Istanbul, Bursa and Edirne. He was also skilled in the ta‘liq script.Reference: Tanındı, Z., Harmony of Line and Colour, Illuminated Manuscripts Documents and Calligraphy in the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection, Sadberk Hanım Museum Publication, İstanbul 2019, p. 632.