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Lot Essay
This manuscript contains selected poems from the Hadiqa al-Haqiqat va Shari’at al-Tariqa (The Walled Garden of Truth) which belong to a corpus of mystic and Sufi poetry. This was composed by Sana’i Ghaznavi (d. between 1131 and 1141). Arabic verse techniques such as the qasida, ghazal, and mathnawi appear throughout this manuscript and Sana’i is credited with introducing these into the Persian literary tradition.
Shah Mahmud Nishapuri (d. 1581-82), also known as Zarrin Qalam (‘Golden Pen’), was born in Nishapur where he gained his nisba and where he is said to have studied under his uncle 'Abdi Nishapuri. He then rose to success and became the royal calligrapher to Shah Tahmasp (d. 1574). He spent most of his life in Tabriz, only moving to Mashhad when Shah Tahmasp’s interest in the arts waned. During this time, he completed many commissions for the royal family and was respected as one of the greatest calligraphers of his time. Notably, he completed the Khamsa of Nizami for Shah Tahmasp which is now in The British Library, London (acc.no.Or.2265). His work was particularly appreciated for the refinement of the nasta’liq script (Norah Titley, Persian Miniature Painting, London, 1983, p.84).
In addition to the fine calligraphy, the margins of our manuscript are wonderfully detailed throughout. The gold stencilled decoration and polychrome medallions heighten the luxuriousness of this manuscript. The pairs of birds on the opening bifolio are picked out in blue and gold, paired birds were a common motif in Sufiism and are fitting here for the mystic Hadiqa al-Haqiqat. Furthermore, the illustrated folio tells an unusual but captivating story (Chapter 7, Poem 30, Hadiqa al-Haqiqat) of an old man with a daughter named Mahsati and three cows. When the Angel of Death, Azrael, appears, instead of protecting his sick daughter, the old man begs Azrael to take her instead. The story finishes with a comic twist when it transpires that it is not the Angel of Death at all, but a cow with a pot stuck on its head. The choice to depict this scene injects a certain light-heartedness into the manuscript.
Another example of Shah Mahmud's calligraphy was sold in these Rooms, 7 October 2008, lot 315.
Shah Mahmud Nishapuri (d. 1581-82), also known as Zarrin Qalam (‘Golden Pen’), was born in Nishapur where he gained his nisba and where he is said to have studied under his uncle 'Abdi Nishapuri. He then rose to success and became the royal calligrapher to Shah Tahmasp (d. 1574). He spent most of his life in Tabriz, only moving to Mashhad when Shah Tahmasp’s interest in the arts waned. During this time, he completed many commissions for the royal family and was respected as one of the greatest calligraphers of his time. Notably, he completed the Khamsa of Nizami for Shah Tahmasp which is now in The British Library, London (acc.no.Or.2265). His work was particularly appreciated for the refinement of the nasta’liq script (Norah Titley, Persian Miniature Painting, London, 1983, p.84).
In addition to the fine calligraphy, the margins of our manuscript are wonderfully detailed throughout. The gold stencilled decoration and polychrome medallions heighten the luxuriousness of this manuscript. The pairs of birds on the opening bifolio are picked out in blue and gold, paired birds were a common motif in Sufiism and are fitting here for the mystic Hadiqa al-Haqiqat. Furthermore, the illustrated folio tells an unusual but captivating story (Chapter 7, Poem 30, Hadiqa al-Haqiqat) of an old man with a daughter named Mahsati and three cows. When the Angel of Death, Azrael, appears, instead of protecting his sick daughter, the old man begs Azrael to take her instead. The story finishes with a comic twist when it transpires that it is not the Angel of Death at all, but a cow with a pot stuck on its head. The choice to depict this scene injects a certain light-heartedness into the manuscript.
Another example of Shah Mahmud's calligraphy was sold in these Rooms, 7 October 2008, lot 315.