Lot Essay
The scribe, Muhammad al-Qiwami al-Shirazi sometimes also known as Hammami, was one of the very best of the Shiraz scribes of this period. Other works by him are known in a number of public and private collections; for a listing of most of his better known works see the note to a Diwan of Hafiz written by him and sold in these Rooms 10 October 1989, lot 264. Further works not cited there are noted in Guest, Grace Dunham: Shiraz Painting in the Sixteenth Century, Washington D.C., 1949, Appendix pp.57-64 and in Robinson, B.W.: A Descriptive Catalogue of the Persian Paintings in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, 1958, pp.120-124. His earliest recorded signature is dated AH 943/1537 AD, while the latest is AH 985/1577 AD. The present manuscript was therefore produced in the middle of his known period of work.
The paintings in this manuscript are the work of a number of artists, many of whom are known to have worked on other important commissions of the period in Shiraz. These include the Khamseh of Nizami in the Freer Gallery (Guest: op.cit.), a Shahnameh sold at Sotheby's (London, 9 December 1975, lot 352), now in the Art and History Trust Collection (Soudavar, Abolala: Art of the Persian Courts, Washington, D.C., 1992, pp.245-9), a Khamseh of Nizami in the India Office Library (Robinson, B.W.: Persian Paintings in the India Office Library, London 1976, pp.100-104), a Shahnameh in the same collection (Robinson, op.cit, pp. 89-100), a Haft Awrang of Jami in the Bodleian (Robinson, B.W.: A Descriptive Catalogue of the Persian Paintings in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, 1958, pp. 108-110), a Shahnameh in the same collection (Robinson, Bodleian op.cit., pp.94-97), a Majlis al-'Ushshaq in the same collection (Robinson: Bodleian op.cit., pp.97-102, and a Khamseh of Nizami in the John Rylands Library, Manchester (Robinson, B.W.: Persian Paintings in the John Rylands Library, London, 1980, pp.203-220). The best known of them are referred to in various works as painters A, B and C. Unfortunately different works assign the same letters to different artists. Thus Guest's and Robinson's (India Office, op.cit.) painter B is Sotheby's and therefore Soudavar's Painter A. Furthermore, Robinson, in the Bodleian catalogue (op.cit., p.97), calls this same artist, Artist C!. Guest's painter A is Soudavar's painter C, while many of the other artists labelled as A, B or C in one volume do not appear in the manuscripts decribed in another catalogue. Oh for an appellation like 'the Master of the melting rocks'!. In the following tentative analysis we have followed the Soudavar/Sotheby system, unless otherwise stated, to attribute artists to the miniatures where possible. Due to similarities in style it appears possible that Soudavar's painter C was a pupil of Guest's Painter C.
The paintings are as follows:
1 f.15r. Gayumars and his skin-clad courtiers
2 f.26r. The murder of Iraj by his brothers (Painter D)
3 f.48r. The Wedding celebration of Zal and Rudaba (Bodleian painter B)
4 f.66r. Rustem kills the white div, watched by 'Ulad who is roped to a tree (Painter B)
5 f.74r. Rustem with a hunting party (Painter A)
6 f.83r. Rustem, having killed his son, Sohrab (Painter A)
7 f.99r. Afrasiyab enthroned with Farangis (Painter A)
8 f.107r. Garvi cutting Siyavush's throat (Guest Painter C)
9 f.122v. Kai Khusraw reviewing his army mounted on an elephant (Painter C)
10 f.131v. The night attack of the Turanians defeating the Persians (Bodleian painter B)
11 f.150r. Rustem killing Ashkabus with an arrow (Painter A)
12 f.159v. Rustem lassooing the Khaqan of Chin on his white elephant (Guest painter C)
13 f.168v. Rustem thrown into the sea by the div Akvan (Painter B)
14 f.182r. Rustem rescues Bizhan from the pit (Painter A)
15 f.193r. Bizhan killing Human the Turanian (Painter A)
16 f.228r. Rustem in battle against Afrasiyab's forces (Bodleian painter B)
17 f.236r. The beheading of Afrasiyab before Kai Khusraw (Painter C)
(ff.257-8 miniature removed)
18 f.263r. Arjasp's forces fighting the Turanians (Painter A)
19 f.287r. Rustem fending off the rock dropped by Bahman (India Office painter A)
20 f.300r. Rustem fighting Isfandiyar (India Office painter A)
21 f.313v. Rustem, dying, kills Shaghad (Bodleian painter B)
22 f.344r. Mahayir and Janusiyar as prisoners brought before the dying Dara comforted by Iskandar (India Office painter A)
(ff.360-1 miniature removed)
(ff.371-2 miniature removed)
23 f.394v. Bahram Gur's master shot, observed by Azadeh (India Office painter A)
(ff.419-20 miniature removed)
24 f.440r. Anushirvan's army besieging a Roman Fortress (India Office painter A)
(ff.497-8 miniature removed)
25 f.488v. Bahram Chubin killing Sava, the king of the Turks (India Office painter A)
26 f.499r. The blinding of Hormuz (India Office painter A)
27 f.519r. Khusraw's son, Shirvi, sent to school (India Office painter A)
(ff.522-3 miniature removed)
28 f.562v. The burial of Yazdegird (India Office painter A)
The paintings in this manuscript are the work of a number of artists, many of whom are known to have worked on other important commissions of the period in Shiraz. These include the Khamseh of Nizami in the Freer Gallery (Guest: op.cit.), a Shahnameh sold at Sotheby's (London, 9 December 1975, lot 352), now in the Art and History Trust Collection (Soudavar, Abolala: Art of the Persian Courts, Washington, D.C., 1992, pp.245-9), a Khamseh of Nizami in the India Office Library (Robinson, B.W.: Persian Paintings in the India Office Library, London 1976, pp.100-104), a Shahnameh in the same collection (Robinson, op.cit, pp. 89-100), a Haft Awrang of Jami in the Bodleian (Robinson, B.W.: A Descriptive Catalogue of the Persian Paintings in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, 1958, pp. 108-110), a Shahnameh in the same collection (Robinson, Bodleian op.cit., pp.94-97), a Majlis al-'Ushshaq in the same collection (Robinson: Bodleian op.cit., pp.97-102, and a Khamseh of Nizami in the John Rylands Library, Manchester (Robinson, B.W.: Persian Paintings in the John Rylands Library, London, 1980, pp.203-220). The best known of them are referred to in various works as painters A, B and C. Unfortunately different works assign the same letters to different artists. Thus Guest's and Robinson's (India Office, op.cit.) painter B is Sotheby's and therefore Soudavar's Painter A. Furthermore, Robinson, in the Bodleian catalogue (op.cit., p.97), calls this same artist, Artist C!. Guest's painter A is Soudavar's painter C, while many of the other artists labelled as A, B or C in one volume do not appear in the manuscripts decribed in another catalogue. Oh for an appellation like 'the Master of the melting rocks'!. In the following tentative analysis we have followed the Soudavar/Sotheby system, unless otherwise stated, to attribute artists to the miniatures where possible. Due to similarities in style it appears possible that Soudavar's painter C was a pupil of Guest's Painter C.
The paintings are as follows:
1 f.15r. Gayumars and his skin-clad courtiers
2 f.26r. The murder of Iraj by his brothers (Painter D)
3 f.48r. The Wedding celebration of Zal and Rudaba (Bodleian painter B)
4 f.66r. Rustem kills the white div, watched by 'Ulad who is roped to a tree (Painter B)
5 f.74r. Rustem with a hunting party (Painter A)
6 f.83r. Rustem, having killed his son, Sohrab (Painter A)
7 f.99r. Afrasiyab enthroned with Farangis (Painter A)
8 f.107r. Garvi cutting Siyavush's throat (Guest Painter C)
9 f.122v. Kai Khusraw reviewing his army mounted on an elephant (Painter C)
10 f.131v. The night attack of the Turanians defeating the Persians (Bodleian painter B)
11 f.150r. Rustem killing Ashkabus with an arrow (Painter A)
12 f.159v. Rustem lassooing the Khaqan of Chin on his white elephant (Guest painter C)
13 f.168v. Rustem thrown into the sea by the div Akvan (Painter B)
14 f.182r. Rustem rescues Bizhan from the pit (Painter A)
15 f.193r. Bizhan killing Human the Turanian (Painter A)
16 f.228r. Rustem in battle against Afrasiyab's forces (Bodleian painter B)
17 f.236r. The beheading of Afrasiyab before Kai Khusraw (Painter C)
(ff.257-8 miniature removed)
18 f.263r. Arjasp's forces fighting the Turanians (Painter A)
19 f.287r. Rustem fending off the rock dropped by Bahman (India Office painter A)
20 f.300r. Rustem fighting Isfandiyar (India Office painter A)
21 f.313v. Rustem, dying, kills Shaghad (Bodleian painter B)
22 f.344r. Mahayir and Janusiyar as prisoners brought before the dying Dara comforted by Iskandar (India Office painter A)
(ff.360-1 miniature removed)
(ff.371-2 miniature removed)
23 f.394v. Bahram Gur's master shot, observed by Azadeh (India Office painter A)
(ff.419-20 miniature removed)
24 f.440r. Anushirvan's army besieging a Roman Fortress (India Office painter A)
(ff.497-8 miniature removed)
25 f.488v. Bahram Chubin killing Sava, the king of the Turks (India Office painter A)
26 f.499r. The blinding of Hormuz (India Office painter A)
27 f.519r. Khusraw's son, Shirvi, sent to school (India Office painter A)
(ff.522-3 miniature removed)
28 f.562v. The burial of Yazdegird (India Office painter A)