TRÈS BELLE COMPOSITION CALLIGRAPHIQUE, MONTÉE SUR UNE PAGE CARTONNÉE (QIT'A)

ALGERIA, OTTOMAN ART, DATED: 1244 H./1829 AND SIGNED BY MOMAMMAD AL-RACHID Ink, pigments and gold on paper, in naskh and thuluth script, decorated with various cartouches illuminated with floral motifs and polychrome and gold scrolls. Gold-painted registers and printed paper margins. The text, in Arabic, is a hadith. Height: 23.3 cm; Width: 33 cm. Private collection passed down through generations since the 19th century. The back of the old frame bears a zinc leaf inscribed with the words: "pris dans la Casaba le lendemain de la prise d'Alger 1830 B. Jarguemont". The hadith refers to Sura CXVII (Al-mulk - Sovereignty). This is a sura from the end of the Meccan period. Several hadiths, including this one, present it as protective and beneficial for those who recite it frequently.