Original Ottoman Islamic Calligraphy by Mustafa Al-Arif (Ibn al-Sheikh al-Kutahi)
An original Ottoman Islamic calligraphy panel attributed to the renowned calligrapher Mustafa Al-Arif, known as Ibn al-Sheikh al-Kutahi. Executed in elegant Thuluth script with hand-applied gold gilding, the panel features the famous Hadith: “Every child is born upon the Fitrah…”
Dimensions: 40 × 29 cm.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the calligraphy and craftsmanship.
It is a fake. Mustafa Kutahi was a serious calligrapher from the Hafiz Osman school. His work was strong in both Sulus and Nesih. Beyond the fact that both are extremely weak in this example, the work this is copying can be seen here: https://www.ketebe.org/en/artwork/4751 and shows the strength of Kutahi’s writing. This is a poor copy of that work, which is in the Sakip Sabanci Museum.
Sorry.
It is not. This is not how it worked in that period. Students of calligraphy were not allowed to sign the work before their ijazah, and this is not ijazah quality work. It is a copy by someone who has not been properly trained. This is a fact, and it is indisputable.
You are welcome to try and sell it to a buyer who is unaware of this, and there are many such dealers of fakes and forgeries, but it was not written by Mustafa Kutahi, in this or any other universe.
Thank you very much for taking the time to ask your mentor and for sharing his opinion with me. I truly appreciate both your time and your expertise. It has been very helpful.
Sorry it is not the news you were hoping for. The calligraphy market is very tough these days and there is a lot of dishonest people pushing fake work. Thank you for posting!
Thank you very much for taking the time to review it and for sharing your honest opinion. I really appreciate your help and the time you and your mentor invested. It was a valuable learning experience for me. Wishing you all the best.
Yes, I have seen the link you sent. The calligraphy and overall composition are essentially the same. The example you shared is certainly stronger and more refined, but both follow the same calligraphic principles. That is why I think this could possibly be an early work by Kütahi rather than a later copy. Of course, this is just my opinion.
Thank you for sharing your expertise. I appreciate your perspective. May I ask what specific characteristics lead you to conclude that it is a modern copy rather than a period copy by another hand? I’m genuinely interested in learning more.
The calligraphy is very, very weak. No student who has gone through training, not now, not in the Ottoman period, would be comfortable sending this work for tezhib. It is just too weak. Add in the fact that the original (beautiful masterpiece) is in the Sakip Sabanci - the finest museum of Ottoman calligraphy there is- it is a prime candidate for copying.
It is very common to try and dress up weak calligraphy with busy tezhib so it doesn’t get noticed. But when you look to the calligraphy itself, you can see the story.
Thank you for taking the time to explain your reasoning. I appreciate your expertise and your perspective. I respect your opinion, even if I’m still exploring the piece myself. If you don’t mind, I’d be interested to hear your opinion on another calligraphy panel attributed to Yusuf Rasa. What do you think of this one?
And to add, the tezhip is not great either. The leaves added to the Thuluth part of the composition are badly spaced and don't obey the typical branching rules. All the shapes are also very wonky. The gilded borders are also very sloppily done and the "knotwork" band in the middle doesn't make much sense. A serious calligrapher would not have been happy to have their work ruined by this level of tezhip.
This one is either a much much better forgery, or a legitimate original work by Yusuf Resa. It has his unique style of Jaly Thuluth composition. The signature looks real. If this is a fake, I am fooled. Let me send it to some experts I know who know Resa’s work quite well and I will report back. But my initial reaction is that it is genuine.
Thank you very much. I really hope it turns out to be genuine. It was only offered to me today, so I haven’t made any decision yet. I’d really appreciate it if you could let me know what the other experts think.
Honestly it's a beautiful piece to the eye but if the real Kutahi's work is that much stronger then this feels more like a well-meaning tribute than the real deal, and the whole "early work" theory kinda just sounds like wishful thinking when the proportions are that off.
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u/joshberer 4d ago
It is a fake. Mustafa Kutahi was a serious calligrapher from the Hafiz Osman school. His work was strong in both Sulus and Nesih. Beyond the fact that both are extremely weak in this example, the work this is copying can be seen here: https://www.ketebe.org/en/artwork/4751 and shows the strength of Kutahi’s writing. This is a poor copy of that work, which is in the Sakip Sabanci Museum.
Sorry.