Calligraphic album

h. 1265 [1849]

The twenty-three kıt’as (calligraphic compositions) by Mustafa İzzet in the album (murakka) consist of couplets from Kasidetü’l-Bürde, an Arabic poem in praise of the Prophet Muhammad written by Muhammad b. Said el-Busirî (d. 1296?). The album folds out like a concertina, constructed by joining the bottom edge of each kıt’a to the top edge of the next. Each kıt’a consists of two lines of sülüs followed by two lines of nesih script. The colophon reading ‘Seyyid İzzet Mustafa 1265’ is written in one of the rectangular spaces of the final kıt’a. The rectangular panels filling the spaces next to the lines of nesih script are filled with scrolling branches with rumi motifs and flowers on lapis blue, red and gold grounds. The writing is surrounded by illuminated borders. The margins are decorated with vassale collage in green paper flecked with gold. The first two and last three pages are decorated with large floral bouquets. The green leather binding is original. In the centre of each cover is a stamped tuğra (imperial cipher) of Sultan Abdülmecid (r. 1839-61) surrounded by a border containing flowers.