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.
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.