TUHFAT AL-MULUK

COPIED BY 'IMAD AL-HASSANI, SAFAVID IRAN, LATE 16TH/EARLY 17TH CENTURY

Details

TUHFAT AL-MULUK
COPIED BY 'IMAD AL-HASSANI, SAFAVID IRAN, LATE 16TH/EARLY 17TH CENTURY
The Gift offered to the Sovereigns, Persian manuscript on gold-sprinkled cream paper, 8ff. with 9ll. of elegant black nasta'liq, titles in blue, opening folio with fine gold and polychrome illuminated heading, folios margined with pale yellow paper slightly cropped and richly decorated with scenes of animals and birds in a landscape and with leafy palmette sprays, final folio signed mashaqahu al-'abd al-mudhnib 'imad al-hasani, opening and closing folio with small seal impression of Mirza Mehdi Khan Astarabadi dated AH 1153/1740-41 AD, early 19th century red morocco binding with découpé floral medallions, folios slightly loose in binding
Folio 9 5/8 x 5in. (24.3 x 13.7cm.); text 5 x 2 7/8in. (14 x 7.1cm.)

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Lot Essay

Mirza Mehdi Khan Astarabadi was a Minister of Nadir Shah Afshar. He was court secretary and the historiographer of Nadir Shah and possessed a large library. A very fine Shahnameh bearing the same seal impression was offered in these Rooms, 1 May 2001, lot 109.

For another example of 'Imad al-Hassani's calligraphy and a short note on the calligraphy, see lot 49 from the Private Collection donated to Benefit the University of Oxford, Part III.

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