OTTOMAN TURKEY, EARLY 16TH CENTURY

This miniature anthology contains verses from various writers, identifying the authors in the cartouches at the upper end of each page as Kelami, Nesimi, and Sultan Hasan. It is a somewhat eclectic selection: Kelami likely refers to the 16th century Bektashi poet, while Nesimi is remembered as one of the great writers of Turkic poetry. The poems have a slight Shi'i valence, and after the names of each poet is a brief invocation to God, of the sort which generally follows the names of rulers. On the opening folio is a roundel of the sort that often indicates a manuscript to have come from a royal library, though unfortunately the right-hand page which would contain the name of the sultan is missing. The style of the roundel is somewhat similar to that on a copy of the Miftah abwab al-Sa'adat sold Bonham's London, 10 April 2008, lot 28, which was dedicated to Bayezid II (r.1481-1512) and dated AH 913⁄1507-8 AD.

A small poetic anthology, also written in nasta'liq set at angles and illuminated throughout, was sold Sotheby's London, 6 October 2010, lot 42.