A rare 18th century painting of the footprints of the prophet Muhammad will take center stage at British auction house Mullock’s on the 21st May.
Painted during the 18th century Ottoman Empire, the painting is expected to 10 000- 15000 GBP
According to written and oral sources, Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) left imprints of his bare feet on a number of stones. Some of these footprints are preserved in situ, where they were left by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and other footprints were moved and later preserved in mosques, shrines, and tombs of prominent Muslim figures.
Some of these footprints were collected and are now housed in the Topkopi Museum in Istanbul. A similar depiction of the Prophets footprints on an Iznik tile (18th century) is housed at the Benaki Islamic Museum Greece.
“The painting is of the finest quality and an extremely important piece of Islamic heritage,” Mullock’s auctioneer – Richard Westwood Brookes, said.
Other highlights include personal possessions of Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, including Gandhi’s will and power of attorney which he wrote in 1921, and a series of important letters. One of these, written in 1937 settles a highly controversial dispute which was taking place within the Indian National Congress.
There are also original portraits and photographs of Gandhi, some of which have been personally signed by him.
In addition to the items of Gandhi interest, the sale also features a wealth of documents, paintings and artifacts relating to India and the Punjab.