An extremely fine calligraphic page (qita'), signed by Hasan Rıza Efendi, Turkey, Ottoman, dated 1326 AH/1908-9 AD

inscriptions

A hadith: rutba al-‘ilm a'la al-rutab, ‘the rank of knowledge is the highest rank’

This calligraphic page was written by a master calligrapher of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Hasan Riza Efendi. Our scribe was born in Üsküdar in 1849 and studied calligraphy under several prominent teachers including Sucu Hüseyin Efendi and Yahya Hilmi Efendi in Istanbul, and later under Şefik Bey and Kazasker Mustaf Izzet Efendi in the Musıka-i Hümayun, The Imperial Band, in Istanbul where he earned his diploma.

Hasan Riza was a prominent calligrapher, copying at least nineteen manuscripts of the Qur’an, including one for Sultan Mehmed V. He was furthermore responsible for prestigious architectural inscriptions, including the tile inscription over the entrance to the Holy Mantle at the Harem-i Hümâyun, as well as the names of the ten companions of the Prophet who were promised Paradise in the Quba Mosque in Medina and the calligraphic panels in the Cihangir Mosque. For another calligraphic page by the scribe, see Christie’s, London, 7 October 2008, lot 374. For further information on the scribe, see Inal 1955, pp.332-6 and Rado 1980, p.250).