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Lot Essay
Frederick Goodall made two journeys to the Near East. Feeling restricted by the genre images which he was producing at home, he spent the winter of 1858-9 in Egypt. Much of the trip was spent in the company of the Bavarian born watercolourist Carl Haag. The account he gave of his visit leaves no doubt of the visual excitement he received from the scene in Cairo. Impressed by the gracefulness of the Egyptians and the grandeur of the landscape, Goodall made them the central focus of his art and exhibited the first of his many Orientalist scenes, Early morning in the Wilderness of Shur, at the Royal Academy in 1860. The work was praised by critics and artists, including Sir Edwin Landseer and David Roberts, and established Goodall's reputation. The sale of all of his oil sketches from this tour to the dealer Ernest Gambart for six thousand guineas financed his second visit in 1870-1. On this trip he and a dragoman on donkeys (carrying a sketching box designed and given to Goodall by the French animal painter, Rosa Bonheur) joined the nomadic Bedouin near Saqqara.
Beyond the figures at prayer, this fascinating painting features some remarkable details such as the legibly applied monumental calligraphies of the copula of the ablution fountain. This is the Ayat-al Kursi (the Throne Verse) from the holy Qur’an, written in thuluth script. The monumental kufic inscriptions running on the walls of the four great iwans have also been skilfully reflected on canvas.
The Mosque of Sultan Hasan in Cairo covered an area of 7,906 square meters, with walls which rise up to 36 meters and its minarets to 68 meters. Located near the Citadel of Cairo, its construction began in 1356. At the time of construction, the mosque was considered remarkable for its fascinating size and innovative architectural components. Commissioned by Sultan al-Nasir Hasan, the Mamluk historian al-Maqrizi noted that within the mosque were several "wonders of construction". The mosque was, for example, designed to include schools for all four of the Sunni schools of thought: Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanafi and Hanbali. Fitted between and behind each iwan is a madrasa, complete with its own courtyard and four stories of cells for students and teachers.
Sultan Hasan ascended the throne in 1347. Upon taking over, Sultan Hasan placed people of his own favour into positions of power. This happened at the expense of dignitaries currently in position. Discontented amirs arrested the Sultan in 1351, held him in jail for three years, and promoted his brother as-Salih Salih to the throne. Hasan spent his time in jail studying.
He returned to power and again reshuffled the ruling establishment attempting to solidify power, but Sultan Hasan was assassinated by his commander in chief of the army, Yalbugha al-Umari, a Mamluk thought to be loyal. Because of the Sultan's extravagance in spending fortunes of the state, his commanders rebelled against the Sultan. A contemporary Syrian historian, Ibn Kathir, backed this reputation.
Little information is available about the construction of the mosque of Sultan Hasan. The most substantial source available is al-Maqrizi writing six decades later. Maqrizi mentions that the construction of the mosque cost 30,000 dirham every day, making it the most expensive mosque in medieval Cairo. Financing for the mosque was paid for by the austerity of Manjaq, by Shaykhu's wealth, and by extortion from subjects.
Labour for the mosque attracted craftsmen from all over the Mamluk Empire. The mosque was built close to the Citadel, on the site of the Palace of Yalbugha al-Yahaws. This was meant as a pleasing site for the Sultan to look down on from his palace in the Citadel. The day it was completed, it was celebrated as the largest mosque and the greatest Islamic monument in the world.
We would like to thank Dr Bora Keskiner for his kind assistance in cataloguing the present lot.
Beyond the figures at prayer, this fascinating painting features some remarkable details such as the legibly applied monumental calligraphies of the copula of the ablution fountain. This is the Ayat-al Kursi (the Throne Verse) from the holy Qur’an, written in thuluth script. The monumental kufic inscriptions running on the walls of the four great iwans have also been skilfully reflected on canvas.
The Mosque of Sultan Hasan in Cairo covered an area of 7,906 square meters, with walls which rise up to 36 meters and its minarets to 68 meters. Located near the Citadel of Cairo, its construction began in 1356. At the time of construction, the mosque was considered remarkable for its fascinating size and innovative architectural components. Commissioned by Sultan al-Nasir Hasan, the Mamluk historian al-Maqrizi noted that within the mosque were several "wonders of construction". The mosque was, for example, designed to include schools for all four of the Sunni schools of thought: Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanafi and Hanbali. Fitted between and behind each iwan is a madrasa, complete with its own courtyard and four stories of cells for students and teachers.
Sultan Hasan ascended the throne in 1347. Upon taking over, Sultan Hasan placed people of his own favour into positions of power. This happened at the expense of dignitaries currently in position. Discontented amirs arrested the Sultan in 1351, held him in jail for three years, and promoted his brother as-Salih Salih to the throne. Hasan spent his time in jail studying.
He returned to power and again reshuffled the ruling establishment attempting to solidify power, but Sultan Hasan was assassinated by his commander in chief of the army, Yalbugha al-Umari, a Mamluk thought to be loyal. Because of the Sultan's extravagance in spending fortunes of the state, his commanders rebelled against the Sultan. A contemporary Syrian historian, Ibn Kathir, backed this reputation.
Little information is available about the construction of the mosque of Sultan Hasan. The most substantial source available is al-Maqrizi writing six decades later. Maqrizi mentions that the construction of the mosque cost 30,000 dirham every day, making it the most expensive mosque in medieval Cairo. Financing for the mosque was paid for by the austerity of Manjaq, by Shaykhu's wealth, and by extortion from subjects.
Labour for the mosque attracted craftsmen from all over the Mamluk Empire. The mosque was built close to the Citadel, on the site of the Palace of Yalbugha al-Yahaws. This was meant as a pleasing site for the Sultan to look down on from his palace in the Citadel. The day it was completed, it was celebrated as the largest mosque and the greatest Islamic monument in the world.
We would like to thank Dr Bora Keskiner for his kind assistance in cataloguing the present lot.