A TALISMANIC SHIRT
Turkey, late 19th - 20th century

A TALISMANIC SHIRT
Turkey, late 19th - 20th century

The machine-stitched unbleached cotton cloth modelled into a kaftan shape, profusely decorated and inscribed with Quranic phrases, protective and victorious prayers, descriptions of heaven, and charts containing the names of Allah in blue, red, gold, and black in a variety of calligraphic scripts, further enhanced with geometric and vegetal patterns, 80cm long from the nape.

Provenance: Purchased by the present owner from a London art gallery in 1999; previously acquired in Turkey in the mid-1980s.

The tradition of wearing talismanic shirts (or jama) is already documented in medieval Islamic sources, the most authoritative being Ahmad ibn 'Ali al-Buni (d. 1225). However, in terms of surviving material evidence, no extant examples predate the late 15th century. Worn both in battle and during illness, the precise calligraphic programme clarifies the shirts' intended purpose, recognising God's infinite power and calling for his assistance. It is likely that this tradition was kept alive through the centuries and talismanic shirts continued being produced until recent days. For two comparative examples, also attributed to Turkey, in the Nasser D. Khalili Collection and in the al-Thani Collection, please see Francesca Leoni, Power and Protection: Islamic Art and the Supernatural, exhibition catalogue, 2016, p. 58, and cats. 48 and 50.

(Quantity:1)

Dimensions: 80cm long from the nape