Ottoman Empire. 'Abd al-Hamid II, AH 1293-1327 / AD 1876-1909. Die (Brass, 32 mm, 52.87 g), negative die for jewellery-making. Octagonal brass die. Negatively engraved within square, in three lines: lā ilāha illā Allāh / Muḥammad / rasūl Allāh (‘There is no deity but God / Muhammad / is the Messenger of God’ in Arabic). Decorative ornaments around, all within circle; orientation mark above. Ölçer, Murad . Sultan. Pere. KM. With a beautiful engraved design and well-preserved details. Tiny deposits, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.


This brass die was used for the production of jewellery or decorative metal fittings. Thin pieces of metal would have been pressed or hammered onto the negatively engraved surface, producing a raised relief design on the finished object. The process is technically comparable to the principle of struck coinage, although the purpose here was decorative rather than monetary.

The use of the shahāda as the central motif reflects the adaptation of Islamic epigraphic formulae into jewellery and applied metalwork. The orientation mark above the design would have helped the artisan align the blank or metal sheet correctly before striking or pressing.