A CALLIGRAPHIC GREEN SILK LAMPAS TOMB COVER FRAGMENTOTTOMAN EGYPT, 17TH CENTURYA CALLIGRAPHIC GREEN SILK LAMPAS TOMB COVER FRAGMENTOTTOMAN EGYPT, 17TH CENTURYThe green silk ground woven with cursive inscriptions set within alternating chevron bands48 3/4 x 29 1/2in. (124 x 75cm.)Inscriptions:The main chevron with the shahada, with Qur'an I.144 above and the affirmation 'may Allah be pleased with Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, 'Ali, and all other companions [of the Prophet]' below. Between the chevrons, the alternating phrases 'Allah, Muhammad' and 'Allah, my Lord'.Silk lampas textiles like the present lot, decorated with a distinctive zig-zag pattern, were made to hang in the interiors of the Kaaba and the mosques of Mecca and Medina. Unlike the kiswa, which was changed annually, the interior textiles of the haramayn were only changed on the accession of a new caliph (Venetia Porter, Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam, London, 2012, p.262). Though textiles of this type are known on red and black grounds, those woven on green were reserved to be hung in places of particular esteem, such as in the doorway of the Masjid al-Nabawi or over the tombs of important religious personages. Embroidered on the present lot is a Qur’anic quotation which discusses the correct direction of prayer, appropriate for a textile intended for the holy places. The blessing on the Rashidun caliphs hints that this textile may have been draped over the tomb of Abu Bakr or ‘Umar. A comparable example, on a black ground but with identical inscriptions to the present lot can be found in the collection of the Topkapi palace in Istanbul (H. Tezcan, Sacred Covers of Islam’s Holy Shrines, Istanbul. 2017, p.166). Seventeenth century green-ground examples were sold in these Rooms 23 October 2007, lot 34, and 26 April 2012, lot 279.A carbon date on a sample from the textile, performed by RCD RadioCarbon Dating, reference RCD-9594, on 9 December 2021, gives a 68.3% probability of 1520-1642 and a a 95.4% probability of 1490-1651, confirming the proposed dating of this lot.细节 A CALLIGRAPHIC GREEN SILK LAMPAS TOMB COVER FRAGMENTOTTOMAN EGYPT, CIRCA 1600The green silk ground woven with cursive inscriptions set within alternating chevron bands48 3/4 x 29 1/2in. (124 x 75cm.)