SIGNED ABDÜLFETTAH EFENDI, OTTOMAN TURKEY, 19TH CENTURY

Originally a slave from the Greek Island of Chios, Abdulfettah Efendi came to Istanbul when he was bought into the household of Serasker Husrev Pasa. There he was instructed in calligraphy under Hâfiz Mustafa Sâkir Efendi and Yesârîzâde Mustafa Izzet Efendi, the latter tutoring him in ta'liq script. Amongst numerous notable positions in the Ottoman state, he served as Head Engraver at the Imperial Mint, where he also assisted in the production of printing blocks for paper currency. Successful during his lifetime, Abdulfettah Efendi produced inscriptions for projects including the Imperial Gate at Topkapi Palace, the Beylerbeyi Palace and the mausoleum of Sultan Mehmed II. Together with Mehmed Sefik Bey, whose work is also featured in this sale (lot 375), he repaired the inscriptions in the Great Mosque of the city of Bursa following serious earthquake damage in 1855. His work is published in M. Ugur Durman, Eternal Letters: From the Abdul Rahman Al Owais Collection of Islamic Calligraphy, Sharjah, exhibition catalogue, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, 2009, no.40, pp.172-3.