Lot 20
Estimate: £4,000 - £6,000
Auction: 11 December 2024 from 10:00 GMT
of rectangular form, the yellow silk ground embroidered in polychrome silk threads with a stylised mihrab enclosing a ‘tree of life’, with a border of repeat floral garlands, lined on the back with a strip of velcro for hanging
166cm x 101cm
The ‘Tree of Life’ or ‘Tree of Immortality’ is sacred in Muslim religious text, and the design is often used on prayer panels within an arch setting. A tree in the Qur'an is referred to in relation to Adam and Eve, and the Hadith refers to trees in Heaven.
For comparable prayer hangings in the Topkapi Museum, see Exhibition Catalogue, Sandiklarda Sakai Saray Yasami, Istanbul, 2006, pp. 166-202.