gouache on paper, ruled in black and light-blue, with Chinese seal impressions, framed, offered with a plan of the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, ink on paper, framed

The view of Mecca: in good overall condition, some minor abrasions to the ink, the frame with minor scratches, as viewed. The plan of the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock: in good overall condition, some minor abrasion and smudges to the ink, as viewed.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Known in Chinese as Tianfag or ‘the Heavenly Cube’, the Ka’ba and the Hajj are present in Chinese texts since at least the fifteenth century, although few records have survived. One of the most renowned Muslim writers in China in the nineteenth century, Ma Fuchu (Maq Dexin, 1794-1863), described his long journey in an Arabic text which was later translated into Chinese (Porter, 2012, pp.161-2).

This view of Mecca was probably painted by a Chinese artist for a Muslim patron. The presence of part of verse ninety-seven from surah al-'Imran (III), "And [due] to Allah upon mankind is a pilgrimage to the House – for whoever is able to find a way" stresses the importance of the Hajj, and to the right the seal reads 'Shi Jiazhen'. Mecca and Jerusalem were popular subjects in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and many drawings and maps were produced for pilgrims. The plan of the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock bears the name of Mehmed Tahir, an army lieutenant.