1863 Tughra, 5 kurus
1863 Tughra, 5 kurus
Postage stamps were first issued by Great Britain in 1840 to regularize the payment of fees for letters sent through the postal system. Within a few years most European powers had issued stamps of their own. The Ottoman Empire was a late entry on January 1, 1863 with a stamp centered around the Tughra, the Turkish emblem of sovereignty and seal of the current sultan Abdülaziz I. Below the seal was an inverted crescent bearing the inscription "Devleti Aliye Osmaniye," or "The
Sublime Ottoman Empire" in Turkish-Arabic script. Hilal, the very slight crescent moon visible after the new moon, was iconic in Islamic cultures as the hallmark of their lunar month.
The designer of the Tughra series was Sikkezenbachi Abdulfettah Efendi, born in 1814 at Chios (Sakiz) Island and brought to Istanbul as a slave at a very young age. He was trained as a calligrapher and employed by the Imperial Mint to design the first stamp for the realm.
Since the stamps are rather valuable, my convention of adding them as a collage to the print has not been observed, nor has any suitable replica been found.
The Arabic calligraphy of the Tughra is quite complex.
Sublime Ottoman Empire" in Turkish-Arabic script. Hilal, the very slight crescent moon visible after the new moon, was iconic in Islamic cultures as the hallmark of their lunar month.
The designer of the Tughra series was Sikkezenbachi Abdulfettah Efendi, born in 1814 at Chios (Sakiz) Island and brought to Istanbul as a slave at a very young age. He was trained as a calligrapher and employed by the Imperial Mint to design the first stamp for the realm.
Since the stamps are rather valuable, my convention of adding them as a collage to the print has not been observed, nor has any suitable replica been found.
The Arabic calligraphy of the Tughra is quite complex.
Available
$25.00 USD
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$25.00 USD
+ Shipping
[Ask for rates]