Nur al-Din 'Abd al-Rahman Jami (d. AH 898/1492 AD): Yusuf wa Zulaykha

BOKHARA, AH RABI I 978/3 AUGUST-2 SEPTEMBER 1570 AD

細節

Nur al-Din 'Abd al-Rahman Jami (d. AH 898/1492 AD): Yusuf wa Zulaykha
Bokhara, AH Rabi I 978/3 August-2 September 1570 AD
Persian manuscript on gold-sprinkled buff paper, 138ff. with 14ll. of fine black nasta'liq in two columns, outlined with gold, titles in red within panels highlighted with gold floral motifs, opening finely illuminated gold and blue bifolio, preceded by double page miniature depicting Yusuf and Zulaykha seated on a golden throne in a garden surrounded by musicians and attendants, with contemporary finely illuminated margins with coloured birds among foliage, interlaced floral meander and arabesques, some with decoupé cartouches in contrasting pastel colours, with four full-page miniatures in gouache heightened with gold, final folio with colophon sgned Mir Husayn al-Husayni and dated Rabi' I 978, lacunae, light staining and minor restorations, in later black morocco binding with flap, blue moroco slip cover
Folio 10.7/8 x 6.7/8in. (27.5 x 17.4cm.); text 5¼ x 2.5/8in. (13.2 x 6.5cm.)

來源

Newberry Library, Chicago. Sold by order of the trustees for the book acquisition funds in these rooms, 18 October 1994, lot 72.

拍品專文

The miniatures are as follows:
Folios 2b/3a Yusuf and Zulaykha enthroned in a garden
Folio 59b. Yusuf pulled from the pit
Folio 99a Zulaykha's ladies fainting at the sight of Yusuf's beauty Folio 118a Yusuf enthroned
Folio 126a The old lady who approaches Yusuf

The scribe Mir Husayn al-Husayni seems to have been active in the second half of the 16th century. He was employed in Bokhara at the court of the Shaybanid rulers. He is also thought to have worked at the court of the Emperor Akbar where, according to Qa'ti (the 17th century author of majma' al-shu'ara Jahangirshahi), he was one of the scribes of the Hamzanameh.
The opening flyleaf contains an autograph of the young prince Khurram, the future Shah Jehan, stating that the manuscript entered the imperial library in the year AH 1014/1605-6 AD. There are also at least eight library seals of the imperial library of Shah Jehan and three from the reign of Aurangzeb.
The manuscript is not complete. Lacunae occur at folios 62b, 77b, and before miniatures on folios 118a and 126a. According to a note on the final flyleaf, there were originally nine miniatures. The miniatures are typical of the Bokhara school of the 1560's. See also Soudavar, A.: Art of the Persian Courts, New York, 1992, no.s 80 and 81, pp. 212-6.
The borders and illumination are of the finest quality. For similar work see also lot 82.