Sufi emblem, wood
Turkey; 18th-19th century
H incl. foot: 89.5; W: 45.5 cm
Inventory number 18/2010
This sculpturally conceived calligraphic composition features the words “ya Shafi” (O Healer!), repeated and reversed. Al-Shafi is one of Allah’s many names. It is often used among the Sufis as a decorative metaphor of God and as one of several words and phrases that bring the Sufi further on his path when they are remembered and repeated (dhikr).
We do not know why the base bears a marked resemblance to the shape of classical Islamic candlesticks from the 13th-14th century, but the emblem could be interpreted as a flame. In Sufi poetry, the moth’s longing for the candle’s burning flame is interpreted as the lover’s longing for the beloved – a metaphor of the Sufi and God.
We do not know why the base bears a marked resemblance to the shape of classical Islamic candlesticks from the 13th-14th century, but the emblem could be interpreted as a flame. In Sufi poetry, the moth’s longing for the candle’s burning flame is interpreted as the lover’s longing for the beloved – a metaphor of the Sufi and God.
Published in
Published in
Sotheby’s, London, 6/10-2010, lot 345;
Joachim Meyer and Peter Wandel: Sufisme: islams mystiske vej, Davids Samling, København 2011, pp. 60-61;
Institute of Ismaili Studies: Encounters in Muslim History, Student reader 1, London 2017, p. 221;
Stig T. Rasmussen: Klassisk arabisk litteratur i oversættelse til dansk: en litteraturhistorisk vejvisende antologi, København 2018, pp. 110-111;
Calouste Gulbenkian Museum: The rise of Islamic art, 1869-1939, Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon 2019, cat. 10, pp. 82-84;
Joachim Meyer, Rasmus Bech Olsen and Peter Wandel: Beyond words: calligraphy from the World of Islam, The David Collection, Copenhagen 2024, cat. 32, pp. 166-167;
Joachim Meyer and Peter Wandel: Sufisme: islams mystiske vej, Davids Samling, København 2011, pp. 60-61;
Institute of Ismaili Studies: Encounters in Muslim History, Student reader 1, London 2017, p. 221;
Stig T. Rasmussen: Klassisk arabisk litteratur i oversættelse til dansk: en litteraturhistorisk vejvisende antologi, København 2018, pp. 110-111;
Calouste Gulbenkian Museum: The rise of Islamic art, 1869-1939, Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon 2019, cat. 10, pp. 82-84;
Joachim Meyer, Rasmus Bech Olsen and Peter Wandel: Beyond words: calligraphy from the World of Islam, The David Collection, Copenhagen 2024, cat. 32, pp. 166-167;
