A calligraphic saying on silk, signed by Mehmed Şefik, Turkey, Ottoman, dated 1291 AH/1874 ADSilk24 by 29.5cm.ink on silk, framedCatalogue NoteinscriptionsA prayer in Arabic in the shape of a that consists of:'I seek refuge in God from the accursed Satan'Followed by the Bismillah and “My God, O Opener of Gates, open for us the best gate.”Below the main inscription is another small inscription, a saying in Arabic:'Say good things or keep silent.'Mehmed Şefik Bey (1819-80) was born in the Besiktas district in Istabul. He was taught by Ali Vasfi Efendi and Ali Haydar Efendi and was the favourite pupil of Kazasker Mustafa Izzet Efendi. In 1845 he was appointed to the Imperial Music Ensemble (Muzika-i Humayun) and as palace tutor, roles he held for thirty-four years. After an earthquake in 1855 he helped to repair the calligraphy on the walls in the Ulu Camii in Bursa. He was also responsible for Qur’anic inscriptions on the mihrab of the Aya Sofya Mosque and on tiles on the Dome of the Rock, as well as for the frieze on the tomb of Sultan Abdulmecid.