ITEM 41082
Window Panel with Inscription
Kalimantan, Borneo
Wood
Late 19th / Early 20th Century
17.25 x 41 in / 43.8 x 104 cm
SOLD
Inscription translation
In the roundels in the upper left and right:
توجه حيث شئت / ففإنك منصور
‘Go wherever you wish, for you shall be victorious’
In the middle:
الله وحده لا شريك له محمد عبده ورسول الله
‘God alone, He has no associate. Muhammad is His servant and messenger’
The seal of Prophethood carved in wood. According to some reports, the first legend was found on the Prophet’s back, between his shoulder blades. In Ottoman prayer books, this seal is referred to as the Prophet’s ‘Seal of Prophecy’ (mühr-i nübüvvet) and is frequently depicted with a variation of the first legend on the front and the second legend on the back. An exceptionally rare example of Islamic calligraphy in wood, from a pasisir (coastal) Muslim community, Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo.