Lot 24
24
THE FORTY SAYINGS OF THE PROPHET WITH PERSIAN TRANSLATION BY JAMI'
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THE FORTY SAYINGS OF THE PROPHET WITH PERSIAN TRANSLATION BY JAMI'

COPIED BY SULTAN 'ALI MASHHADI, TIMURID HERAT, DATED AH 886/1481-82 AD

Details
THE FORTY SAYINGS OF THE PROPHET WITH PERSIAN TRANSLATION BY JAMI'
COPIED BY SULTAN 'ALI MASHHADI, TIMURID HERAT, DATED AH 886/1481-82 AD
Hadith, Arabic and Persian manuscript on paper, 15ff. concertina bound, each with 7ll. of black, turquoise and gold nasta'liq arranged in one or two columns and all contained within gold-outlined panels, each folio with two such panels with 4ll. of diagonal nasta'liq, many of the text boxes flanked or divided by panels of gold and polychrome illumination, all text panels laid down between variously coloured borders with gold and polychrome rules on gold-speckled margins with green outer rules, opening folio with gold and polychrome illumination much of which was probably added in the 17th century, colophon signed Sultan 'Ali al-Mashhadi bi Dar al-Sultaneh Herat, some areas of light staining, later owners notes on the reverse of the first folio
Text panel 7 x 4in. (18 x 9.6cm.); folio 9 7/8 x 6½in. (25 x 16.5cm.)
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Lot Essay

Sultan 'Ali Mashhadi was born around the year 1437-38 AD. He was considered first among equals by calligraphers of the period. Qadi Ahmad in his famous treatise describes his writing as among other writings as the sun among other planets. He was active at the court of Sultan Husayn Mirza Bayqara in Herat. He died on 10 Rabi' I AH 926/2 March 1520 AD. (V. Minorsky, Calligraphers and Painters, A Treatise by Qadi Ahmad, son of Mir Munshi, Washington, 1959, pp. 101-103).

The colophon of this manuscript reads: sharfa bi-kitabuha fi tarikhuha, indicating that the manuscript was most probably copied in AH 886/1481-82 AD. This is also the year that Jami' completed his translation of the Forty Sayings of the Prophet. The present manuscript is therefore very probably the earliest copy of the work with Jami's translation.

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