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Lot Essay
This Qur'an has many colophons with the names of all those involved in its creation, together with the names of the patron and his father, both of which have been erased. According to these various colophons the Qur'an was commissioned in 1202/1788 and completed in 1208/1794.
The scribe of the main text is Muhammad b. 'Ala al-Din Muhammad al-Husayni. He is mentioned as one of the master calligraphers of the Zand period in Rustam al-Tawarikh: "Mirza Muhammad, son of 'Ala al-Din Isfahani naskh nevis (the naskh scribe), (Mushiri, M. (ed.): Rustam al-Tawarikh, Tehran, 1352, p.409). No other work by him is recorded, but one manuscript by his father 'Ala al-Din Muhammad dated 1134/1721-2 is in the Gulestan Library (Bayani, Mehdi: Ahval va sar khoshnivisan, vol.IV, Tehran, 1358, p.105).
The scribe of the interlinear Persian translation in nasta'liq is 'Ali Ashgar al-Mutarjim (the translator), son of the deceased Hajji Muhammad al-Hamadani. According to one note, written on gold, the scribe died on the day the colophon was being completed. The name of that scribe is not given, but judging from another colophon for the interlinear translation of the last prayer, the deceased scribe must be 'Ali Ashgar al-Mutarjim. He is not recorded as a scribe and may have been a translator whose other works are not recorded.
The scribe of the marginal commentaries and the illuminator is Muhammad Qasim known as Mirza Kuchak shikasteh-nevis, (the shikasteh scribe). There is no record of such a scribe but see below.
The scribe of the interlinear Persian translation of the last prayer is Mirza Abu'l Qasim. The scribe Abu'l-Qasim, according to Sepehr, recorded by Bayani (op.cit., vol.IV, p.232, no.17) was called Mirza Kuchak, wrote shikasteh in the style of Darvish, and died in 1240/1824-5.
The colophon of the marginal commentaries in shikasteh in a Qur'an in the Gulestan Library is by Mirza Kuchuk who write that he was asked by Ramezan'ali Khan to write the marginal notes which he started in 1224/1809-10 and finished it in 1228/1813 (Bahrami, M. and Bayani, M.: rahnama-ye ganjineh-ye qur'an dar muzeh-ye iran bastan, Tehran, favardin 1328 sh., pp.79-81; Atabay, B.: fihrist-e qur'anhaye khatti-ye ketabkhana-ye saltanati, Tehran, 1351, cat.no.111, pp.256-60). The similarities between these two makes one wonder whether they are by the same hand. Even the way the colophon is written is the same in the two Qur'ans. It makes one wonder if Muhammad Qasim, for some reason after the death of 'Ali Ashgar, changed his name to 'Abu'l-Qasim?
There is no doubt that this qur'an was commissioned for a very prominent person during a politically unstable period. The only legible part of any of the erased entries is the last word of his name: Khan. It is difficult to say for certain who might have commissioned such a Qur'an; whoever commissioned it had enough confidence to do so knowing that it would take a number of years. One possibility could be Agha Muhammad Khan Qajar. He took Isfahan from the Zands in 1202, the year the Qur'an was commissioned. Since he had not been crowned at that stage, this would explain why the attributes given before his name were not royal. On the other hand, the titles are not all appropriate for a rich merchant, the only other people at that time with the money and power to commission such a work. If this Qur'an were proved to have been commissioned by Agha Muhammad Khan, it would be the only recorded manuscript commissioned by him.
Detailed survey of the colophons:
According to the first colophon of the main text, written on gold, the Qur'an was copied through the request of one exalted in rank who is elevated in position and most noble .... it was finished on Naw Ruz, the year 1208 (20th March 1794). The scribe signs as "Muhammad b. 'Ala al-Din Muhammad al-Husayni".
The interlinear text of the prayer at the end of the main text contains the fact that through the kindness of the son of the deceased .... by commissioning the scribe "'Ali Ashgar, son of the deceased Hajji Muhammad al-Hamadani" the work started on 1st Sha'ban the year 1202 (8th June 1788) and finished on Naw Ruz, in Sha'ban 1208 (20 March 1794).
According to another colophon on the next page, the Qur'an was finished for his excellency, the one who is high in rank, elevated in position, and has might and good-fortune with splendour and grandeur, .[name erased] Khan. It was finished at the end of Sha'ban the year one thousand two hundred and seven (11 April 1793). The scribe gives his name as Ibn 'Ala al-Din Muhammad, Muhammad al-Husayni" and that it was finished in Isfahan. This probably means that from April 1793 to March 1794 the scribe was busy writing the chapter headings and text division markers which are usually written by the main scribe.
The colophon of the interlinear text of the above is written in nasta'liq with occasional use of shikasteh and contains the information that the Qur'an was copied through inidcations from one who has high and elevated position, with grandeur and felicity ...[son of] the deceased...., and that the writing of the translation of the Qur'an ended on Wednesday 1 Sha'ban, the year 1202 (8 June 1788) and finished at the end of Sha'ban 1208 (1 April 1794) by Ibn Hajji Mirza Muhammad Hamadani, 'Ali Ashgar al-mutarjim (the translator).
The note written on gold on the above page mentions the fact that on the day the colophon was being completed, the scribe died.
The last two pages include a Shi'a prayer with interlinear Persian translation. The colophon of this section is "the twelve imam [prayer] in the hand of the one who is related to the prophet, Mirza Abu'l Qasim"
The colophon of the marginal note in shekasteh states that the marginal notes and illumination started on Sha'ban 1203 (May-June 1789) and finished in Sha'ban 1208 (March-April 1794) by Muhammad Qasim, known as Mirza Kuchuk shikasteh-nevis (the shikasteh scribe).
The scribe of the main text is Muhammad b. 'Ala al-Din Muhammad al-Husayni. He is mentioned as one of the master calligraphers of the Zand period in Rustam al-Tawarikh: "Mirza Muhammad, son of 'Ala al-Din Isfahani naskh nevis (the naskh scribe), (Mushiri, M. (ed.): Rustam al-Tawarikh, Tehran, 1352, p.409). No other work by him is recorded, but one manuscript by his father 'Ala al-Din Muhammad dated 1134/1721-2 is in the Gulestan Library (Bayani, Mehdi: Ahval va sar khoshnivisan, vol.IV, Tehran, 1358, p.105).
The scribe of the interlinear Persian translation in nasta'liq is 'Ali Ashgar al-Mutarjim (the translator), son of the deceased Hajji Muhammad al-Hamadani. According to one note, written on gold, the scribe died on the day the colophon was being completed. The name of that scribe is not given, but judging from another colophon for the interlinear translation of the last prayer, the deceased scribe must be 'Ali Ashgar al-Mutarjim. He is not recorded as a scribe and may have been a translator whose other works are not recorded.
The scribe of the marginal commentaries and the illuminator is Muhammad Qasim known as Mirza Kuchak shikasteh-nevis, (the shikasteh scribe). There is no record of such a scribe but see below.
The scribe of the interlinear Persian translation of the last prayer is Mirza Abu'l Qasim. The scribe Abu'l-Qasim, according to Sepehr, recorded by Bayani (op.cit., vol.IV, p.232, no.17) was called Mirza Kuchak, wrote shikasteh in the style of Darvish, and died in 1240/1824-5.
The colophon of the marginal commentaries in shikasteh in a Qur'an in the Gulestan Library is by Mirza Kuchuk who write that he was asked by Ramezan'ali Khan to write the marginal notes which he started in 1224/1809-10 and finished it in 1228/1813 (Bahrami, M. and Bayani, M.: rahnama-ye ganjineh-ye qur'an dar muzeh-ye iran bastan, Tehran, favardin 1328 sh., pp.79-81; Atabay, B.: fihrist-e qur'anhaye khatti-ye ketabkhana-ye saltanati, Tehran, 1351, cat.no.111, pp.256-60). The similarities between these two makes one wonder whether they are by the same hand. Even the way the colophon is written is the same in the two Qur'ans. It makes one wonder if Muhammad Qasim, for some reason after the death of 'Ali Ashgar, changed his name to 'Abu'l-Qasim?
There is no doubt that this qur'an was commissioned for a very prominent person during a politically unstable period. The only legible part of any of the erased entries is the last word of his name: Khan. It is difficult to say for certain who might have commissioned such a Qur'an; whoever commissioned it had enough confidence to do so knowing that it would take a number of years. One possibility could be Agha Muhammad Khan Qajar. He took Isfahan from the Zands in 1202, the year the Qur'an was commissioned. Since he had not been crowned at that stage, this would explain why the attributes given before his name were not royal. On the other hand, the titles are not all appropriate for a rich merchant, the only other people at that time with the money and power to commission such a work. If this Qur'an were proved to have been commissioned by Agha Muhammad Khan, it would be the only recorded manuscript commissioned by him.
Detailed survey of the colophons:
According to the first colophon of the main text, written on gold, the Qur'an was copied through the request of one exalted in rank who is elevated in position and most noble .... it was finished on Naw Ruz, the year 1208 (20th March 1794). The scribe signs as "Muhammad b. 'Ala al-Din Muhammad al-Husayni".
The interlinear text of the prayer at the end of the main text contains the fact that through the kindness of the son of the deceased .... by commissioning the scribe "'Ali Ashgar, son of the deceased Hajji Muhammad al-Hamadani" the work started on 1st Sha'ban the year 1202 (8th June 1788) and finished on Naw Ruz, in Sha'ban 1208 (20 March 1794).
According to another colophon on the next page, the Qur'an was finished for his excellency, the one who is high in rank, elevated in position, and has might and good-fortune with splendour and grandeur, .[name erased] Khan. It was finished at the end of Sha'ban the year one thousand two hundred and seven (11 April 1793). The scribe gives his name as Ibn 'Ala al-Din Muhammad, Muhammad al-Husayni" and that it was finished in Isfahan. This probably means that from April 1793 to March 1794 the scribe was busy writing the chapter headings and text division markers which are usually written by the main scribe.
The colophon of the interlinear text of the above is written in nasta'liq with occasional use of shikasteh and contains the information that the Qur'an was copied through inidcations from one who has high and elevated position, with grandeur and felicity ...[son of] the deceased...., and that the writing of the translation of the Qur'an ended on Wednesday 1 Sha'ban, the year 1202 (8 June 1788) and finished at the end of Sha'ban 1208 (1 April 1794) by Ibn Hajji Mirza Muhammad Hamadani, 'Ali Ashgar al-mutarjim (the translator).
The note written on gold on the above page mentions the fact that on the day the colophon was being completed, the scribe died.
The last two pages include a Shi'a prayer with interlinear Persian translation. The colophon of this section is "the twelve imam [prayer] in the hand of the one who is related to the prophet, Mirza Abu'l Qasim"
The colophon of the marginal note in shekasteh states that the marginal notes and illumination started on Sha'ban 1203 (May-June 1789) and finished in Sha'ban 1208 (March-April 1794) by Muhammad Qasim, known as Mirza Kuchuk shikasteh-nevis (the shikasteh scribe).