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Lot Essay
THE MANUSCRIPT IS A PART OF WHAT WAS OBVIOUSLY ORIGINALLY A LARGER WORK. IT APPEARS THAT THE SECTIONS WHICH DEALT WITH HOMOSEXUAL LOVE HAVE BEEN REMOVED, WHICH IS WHY THE TWO TITLE PAGES ARE BLANK, HAVING CONTAINED PART OF THE OTHER SECTIONS ON THEIR REVERSE SIDES. THE LACK OF TITLE PAGE MAKES THE ATTRIBUTION OF THE TEXT SLIGHTLY UNCERTAIN, BUT ANOTHER COPY OF THE TEXT SOLD AT SOTHEBY'S (4 APRIL 1978, LOT 120), DATING FROM ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME TIME, SHOWS THAT THIS WAS A WORK WHICH WAS POPULAR IN CERTAIN CIRCLES AT THE TIME. THE FIRST SECTION IS A SERIES OF FANCIFUL REMINISCENCES OF THE ADVENTURES AND ROMANCES OF AN INQUISITIVE SHEIKH AND HIS DEALINGS WITH WOMEN, WHILE THE SECOND IS A COMPENDIUM OF RELEVANT INFORMATION BEGINNING WITH THE RECIPE FOR A 'STRANGE POTION' OR APHRODISIAC. THE SEPARATION OF THE HOMOSEXUAL PARTS FROM THE PRESENT TOTALLY HETEROSEXUAL TEXT PROBABLY REFLECTS THE RESISTANCE IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY WEST TO THE FORMER.
THE MANUSCRIPT, AND THAT SOLD AT SOTHEBY'S IN 1978, ARE BOTH FROM A SMALL NUMBER OF ILLUSTRATED EROTIC OTTOMAN TEXTS TO HAVE SURVIVED. OTHER SINGLE LEAVES HAVE ALSO SURVIVED, A NUMBER OF WHICH ARE EITHER SIGNED OR ATTRIBUTED TO THE PAINTER 'ABDULLAH BOKHARI. HIS WORKS DATE FROM SLIGHTLY EARLIER THAN THE PRESENT PAINTINGS, BUT LACK THE ELABORATE DETAILED BACKGROUNDS SEEN HERE. THEY ALSO DEPICT BOTH HETEROSEXUAL AND HOMOSEXUAL POSITIONS (CHRISTIE'S, 19 OCTOBER 1993, LOT 101, AND 18 OCTOBER 1994, LOT 96). TWO MINIATURES, CLOSER IN STYLE TO THE PRESENT PAINTINGS BUT OF LASS LASCIVIOUS NATURE, FROM A DISPERSED MANUSCRIPT WERE SOLD IN THESE ROOMS (12 OCTOBER 1978, LOTS 44 AND 45) AND ARE NOW IN THE KHALILI COLLECTION (J.M. ROGERS,EMPIRE OF THE SULTANS, LONDON, 1995, NO.158, PP.228-9).
IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE MINIATURES WERE COMMISSIONED SEPARATELY AND SLIGHTLY EARLIER THAN THE TEXT. THEY ARE ON DIFFERENT PAPER WHICH IS PROBABLY OTTOMAN UNLIKE THE EUROPEAN PAPER OF THE TEXT, AND HAVE DETAILS WHICH WOULD NORMALLY DATE THEM ABOUT THIRTY YEARS BEFORE THE DATE IN THE COLOPHON. THEY PROBABLY REPRESENT OTTOMAN VERSIONS OF EUROPEAN EROTIC PRINTS WHICH WERE VERY DIFFICULT TO COME BY IN EUROPE, BUT ACCORDING TO CONTEMPORARY SOURCES WERE WIDELY EXPORTED TO THE ISLAMIC WORLD. THE DETAILS AND IN PARTICULAR THE TEXTILES AND INTERIORS ARE EXCEPTIONALLY WELL-OBSERVED, AS ARE THE VIGNETTES VISIBLE THROUGH THE WINDOWS AND THE OCCASIONAL FACE PEERING THROUGH SCREENS.
THE SCRIBE SIGNS HIMSELF AS "MAHMUD CCE (THE DWARF), AN INTIMATE OF THE SULTAN", INDICATING THAT THIS MANUSCRIPT MIGHT WELL HAVE BEEN PREPARED FOR ROYAL BEDTIME READING. THE QUALITY OF BOTH THE TEXT AND MINIATURES WOULD BE PERFECTLY CONSISTENT WITH THIS.
THE MANUSCRIPT, AND THAT SOLD AT SOTHEBY'S IN 1978, ARE BOTH FROM A SMALL NUMBER OF ILLUSTRATED EROTIC OTTOMAN TEXTS TO HAVE SURVIVED. OTHER SINGLE LEAVES HAVE ALSO SURVIVED, A NUMBER OF WHICH ARE EITHER SIGNED OR ATTRIBUTED TO THE PAINTER 'ABDULLAH BOKHARI. HIS WORKS DATE FROM SLIGHTLY EARLIER THAN THE PRESENT PAINTINGS, BUT LACK THE ELABORATE DETAILED BACKGROUNDS SEEN HERE. THEY ALSO DEPICT BOTH HETEROSEXUAL AND HOMOSEXUAL POSITIONS (CHRISTIE'S, 19 OCTOBER 1993, LOT 101, AND 18 OCTOBER 1994, LOT 96). TWO MINIATURES, CLOSER IN STYLE TO THE PRESENT PAINTINGS BUT OF LASS LASCIVIOUS NATURE, FROM A DISPERSED MANUSCRIPT WERE SOLD IN THESE ROOMS (12 OCTOBER 1978, LOTS 44 AND 45) AND ARE NOW IN THE KHALILI COLLECTION (J.M. ROGERS,EMPIRE OF THE SULTANS, LONDON, 1995, NO.158, PP.228-9).
IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE MINIATURES WERE COMMISSIONED SEPARATELY AND SLIGHTLY EARLIER THAN THE TEXT. THEY ARE ON DIFFERENT PAPER WHICH IS PROBABLY OTTOMAN UNLIKE THE EUROPEAN PAPER OF THE TEXT, AND HAVE DETAILS WHICH WOULD NORMALLY DATE THEM ABOUT THIRTY YEARS BEFORE THE DATE IN THE COLOPHON. THEY PROBABLY REPRESENT OTTOMAN VERSIONS OF EUROPEAN EROTIC PRINTS WHICH WERE VERY DIFFICULT TO COME BY IN EUROPE, BUT ACCORDING TO CONTEMPORARY SOURCES WERE WIDELY EXPORTED TO THE ISLAMIC WORLD. THE DETAILS AND IN PARTICULAR THE TEXTILES AND INTERIORS ARE EXCEPTIONALLY WELL-OBSERVED, AS ARE THE VIGNETTES VISIBLE THROUGH THE WINDOWS AND THE OCCASIONAL FACE PEERING THROUGH SCREENS.
THE SCRIBE SIGNS HIMSELF AS "MAHMUD CCE (THE DWARF), AN INTIMATE OF THE SULTAN", INDICATING THAT THIS MANUSCRIPT MIGHT WELL HAVE BEEN PREPARED FOR ROYAL BEDTIME READING. THE QUALITY OF BOTH THE TEXT AND MINIATURES WOULD BE PERFECTLY CONSISTENT WITH THIS.