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Lot Essay
Coped by Muhammad Reza ibn 'Alireza al-'Abbasi (main text) and Muhammad Hadi Shirazi (preface, Persian interlinear translation and marginal notes)
The main text is in a fine naskh on a heavily gold-sprinkled ground with interlinear Persian translations in red nasta'liq in uncoloured narrow bands with corrections and additions in black. Marginal commentaries in clear shikasta with keywords in red in gold-ruled panels.
Illuminated marginal devices mark text divisions which include letters kha and 'ayn for every five and ten verse, ha for hizb, nun for the middle of the chapter, large jim with numerals underneath for juz' divisions, with indications for sajdas in full.
Each chapter is marked with a gold illuminated panel in which titles are written in gold riqa' on grounds of a different shade of gold decorated with scrolls and flowers in red. Verse markers are gold rosettes with red radii and blue dots.
A few chapter titles are different to the common ones, for example sura al-ma'ida (V) is given as sura al-'uqud; sura Ibrahim (XIV) as sura al-khalil and sura al-qamar (LIV) as sura al-sa'a.
The first few folios have been tampered with. A few folios are missing including the original flyleaf, which would have had the dedication to the Royal Library and subsequent library notes. Folio 3 consists of two pages stuck together, the result is the text on the recto is incomplete at the beginning and the end as well as the blank page in the middle.
The preface to the manuscript was composed by 'Alireza ibn Kamal al-Din Husayni al-Ardakani al-Shirazi in the year 1084 (AD 1673-4) with its date in abjad as tarjuma bab furqan. It contains a long section in praise of the Safavid king Sulayman I (1077-1105/1666-94) and notes that it is called tarjuma-ye sulaymani (Sulayman's translation) and is a commentary on words and phrases after having used numerous sources. This section is copied by Muhammad Hadi Shirazi in 1094 (AD 1683).
The colophon translates: 'The smallest servant (of God) Muhammad Hadi Shirazi wrote it in 1094 (AD1683)'
The seal:
Sulayman's seal impression is on folio 1v reading:
On top: al-mulk li'llah 'Sovereigny is God's'
In the margins: Qur'an, sura al-naml (XXVII), parts of 15, followed by: 'And salutation [of God] be upon the Best of His creatures Muhammad and his family'
In the centre: Qur'an, sura al-naml (XXVII), 30 which translates as: 'It is from Sulayman and is (as follows): In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful' and is dated 1079 (AD 1668-9).
This seal is recorded to have been used on a letter sent by Shah Sulayman to king of England. (J. Qa'im-Maqami, 'mohrha toghraha va tawqi'ha-ye padshahan-e iran az ilkhanian ta payan-e qajariyya', Majalla barresiha-ye tarikhi, year 4, nos. 2 & 3, serial no, 20-21, June-September, 1969, p. 144)
The decoration:
The main text begins with three double-pages of richly illuminated decoration in gold and polychrome:
The first double-page contains medallions, pendants and corner pieces decorated with arabesques, flower-heads and leaves in gold on lapis-blue ground. The medallions bear a quotation from the Qur'an, sura al-isra' (XVII), 88-89.
The second contains the sura al-fatiha (I) copied in clouds reserved against plain gold ground and Persian interlinear translation in an uncoloured ground decorated with scrolls and leaves in gold. Margins are richly decorated with arabesque scrolls in lapis-blue over gold ground of different shades and decorated with polychrome flower-heads.
The third double-page contain the beginning of sura al-baqara (II) and is similarly arranged with margins decorated with gold arabesque scrolls on different shades of gold and decorated with polychrome flower-heads.
The covers are decorated with cloud and scrolls brushed with gilt. There are cartouches bordering the central panel each bearing the quotation from the Qur'an, sura al-saff (LXI), parts of 13. The doublures are decorated with gold filigree with the medallion and pendants over orange-red and sky-blue grounds. The foredge of the inside of the flap bears a quotation from the Qur'an, sura al-isra' (XVII), 88-89.
The scribes:
The main text ends with a colophon as:
'Muhammad Riza ibn 'Aliriza al-'Abbasi wrote it'
The two scribes who completed this Qur'an produced another Qur'an dated 1101 (AD 1689-90) and 1106 (AD 1694-5) now in the Khalili Collection (Manijeh Bayani, Anna Contadini and Tim Stanley, The Decorated Word, The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, vol. IV, 1999, cat. no. 45, pp. 138-9).
Muhammad Reza who copied the main text is only known by his other works, including another three copies of the Qur'an, one in the Khalili Collection dated 1101 (AD 1689-90), one in the National Museum in Tehran dated 1094 (AD 1682-3); and one in the Shrine Library in Mashhad dated 1097 (AD 1685-6). Other calligraphic pieces and a prayer book signed Muhammad Reza and dated between 1087 (AD 1676-7) and 1114 (AD 1702-3) may be by the same scribe, bearing in mind that there were a few calligraphers with the same name active in that period. A copy of Sahifa-ye Sajjadiyya was signed as 'the teacher of the small boys of the Royal and noble superiors' indicates that he was working in Isfahan, and his attribute al-'Abbasi confirms that he was attached to the court of Shah 'Abbas II (1052-77/1642-66 AD). (M. Bahrami & M. Bayani, rahnama-ye ganjieha-ye qur'an dar muzeh-ye iran bastan, Tehran, 1328, section 2, p. 66, no 114; M. Bayani, ahval va asar-e khosh-nevisan, vol. IV, Teheran, 1358 sh., p. 159 and p. 157, no. 512; A. Golchin-Ma'ani, &Irahnama-ye ganjieha-ye qur'an, Mashhad, 1347 sh, pp. 240-43, no. 127.
Muhammad Hadi Shirazi is also unrecorded apart from the fact that he was the son of Muhammad Amin. His recorded work, other than the Khalili Qur'an, includes a copy of usul u furu' of Kafi; the glosses and commentary in a Qur'an donated by Shah Sultan Husayn to the shrine of Shaykh Safi in Ardebil, (M. Bayani, op. cit., vol. IV, p. 191, Atabay, fehrest-e kotob-e dini va mazhabi-ye khatti-ye ketabkhaneh-ye saltanati, Tehran, 1352, pp. 62-4, M. Bahrami & M. Bayani, rahnama-ye ganjieha-ye qur'an dar muzeh-ye iran bastan, Tehran, 1328, section 2, no. 119) another Qur'an sold at Sotheby's dated 1099 (AD 1687-8) (Sotheby's 23 April 1997, lot 52), a manuscript (?) also sold at Sotheby's dated 1107 (1695-6 AD) (Sotheby's July 1984, lot 58); a Qur'an sold in these Rooms, (London, 24 November 1987, lot. 71; 28 April 1998, lot 35); Hilya al-mutaqqin sold at Sotheby's, (London 22 November 1985, lot 423).
The date 1094 (AD 1682-3) and the seal of the Shah, in addition to the ilumination, binding and indeed complete production of extraordinary quality, all confirm that this copy is likely to have been the original copy made for Shah Sulayman himself.
The main text is in a fine naskh on a heavily gold-sprinkled ground with interlinear Persian translations in red nasta'liq in uncoloured narrow bands with corrections and additions in black. Marginal commentaries in clear shikasta with keywords in red in gold-ruled panels.
Illuminated marginal devices mark text divisions which include letters kha and 'ayn for every five and ten verse, ha for hizb, nun for the middle of the chapter, large jim with numerals underneath for juz' divisions, with indications for sajdas in full.
Each chapter is marked with a gold illuminated panel in which titles are written in gold riqa' on grounds of a different shade of gold decorated with scrolls and flowers in red. Verse markers are gold rosettes with red radii and blue dots.
A few chapter titles are different to the common ones, for example sura al-ma'ida (V) is given as sura al-'uqud; sura Ibrahim (XIV) as sura al-khalil and sura al-qamar (LIV) as sura al-sa'a.
The first few folios have been tampered with. A few folios are missing including the original flyleaf, which would have had the dedication to the Royal Library and subsequent library notes. Folio 3 consists of two pages stuck together, the result is the text on the recto is incomplete at the beginning and the end as well as the blank page in the middle.
The preface to the manuscript was composed by 'Alireza ibn Kamal al-Din Husayni al-Ardakani al-Shirazi in the year 1084 (AD 1673-4) with its date in abjad as tarjuma bab furqan. It contains a long section in praise of the Safavid king Sulayman I (1077-1105/1666-94) and notes that it is called tarjuma-ye sulaymani (Sulayman's translation) and is a commentary on words and phrases after having used numerous sources. This section is copied by Muhammad Hadi Shirazi in 1094 (AD 1683).
The colophon translates: 'The smallest servant (of God) Muhammad Hadi Shirazi wrote it in 1094 (AD1683)'
The seal:
Sulayman's seal impression is on folio 1v reading:
On top: al-mulk li'llah 'Sovereigny is God's'
In the margins: Qur'an, sura al-naml (XXVII), parts of 15, followed by: 'And salutation [of God] be upon the Best of His creatures Muhammad and his family'
In the centre: Qur'an, sura al-naml (XXVII), 30 which translates as: 'It is from Sulayman and is (as follows): In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful' and is dated 1079 (AD 1668-9).
This seal is recorded to have been used on a letter sent by Shah Sulayman to king of England. (J. Qa'im-Maqami, 'mohrha toghraha va tawqi'ha-ye padshahan-e iran az ilkhanian ta payan-e qajariyya', Majalla barresiha-ye tarikhi, year 4, nos. 2 & 3, serial no, 20-21, June-September, 1969, p. 144)
The decoration:
The main text begins with three double-pages of richly illuminated decoration in gold and polychrome:
The first double-page contains medallions, pendants and corner pieces decorated with arabesques, flower-heads and leaves in gold on lapis-blue ground. The medallions bear a quotation from the Qur'an, sura al-isra' (XVII), 88-89.
The second contains the sura al-fatiha (I) copied in clouds reserved against plain gold ground and Persian interlinear translation in an uncoloured ground decorated with scrolls and leaves in gold. Margins are richly decorated with arabesque scrolls in lapis-blue over gold ground of different shades and decorated with polychrome flower-heads.
The third double-page contain the beginning of sura al-baqara (II) and is similarly arranged with margins decorated with gold arabesque scrolls on different shades of gold and decorated with polychrome flower-heads.
The covers are decorated with cloud and scrolls brushed with gilt. There are cartouches bordering the central panel each bearing the quotation from the Qur'an, sura al-saff (LXI), parts of 13. The doublures are decorated with gold filigree with the medallion and pendants over orange-red and sky-blue grounds. The foredge of the inside of the flap bears a quotation from the Qur'an, sura al-isra' (XVII), 88-89.
The scribes:
The main text ends with a colophon as:
'Muhammad Riza ibn 'Aliriza al-'Abbasi wrote it'
The two scribes who completed this Qur'an produced another Qur'an dated 1101 (AD 1689-90) and 1106 (AD 1694-5) now in the Khalili Collection (Manijeh Bayani, Anna Contadini and Tim Stanley, The Decorated Word, The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, vol. IV, 1999, cat. no. 45, pp. 138-9).
Muhammad Reza who copied the main text is only known by his other works, including another three copies of the Qur'an, one in the Khalili Collection dated 1101 (AD 1689-90), one in the National Museum in Tehran dated 1094 (AD 1682-3); and one in the Shrine Library in Mashhad dated 1097 (AD 1685-6). Other calligraphic pieces and a prayer book signed Muhammad Reza and dated between 1087 (AD 1676-7) and 1114 (AD 1702-3) may be by the same scribe, bearing in mind that there were a few calligraphers with the same name active in that period. A copy of Sahifa-ye Sajjadiyya was signed as 'the teacher of the small boys of the Royal and noble superiors' indicates that he was working in Isfahan, and his attribute al-'Abbasi confirms that he was attached to the court of Shah 'Abbas II (1052-77/1642-66 AD). (M. Bahrami & M. Bayani, rahnama-ye ganjieha-ye qur'an dar muzeh-ye iran bastan, Tehran, 1328, section 2, p. 66, no 114; M. Bayani, ahval va asar-e khosh-nevisan, vol. IV, Teheran, 1358 sh., p. 159 and p. 157, no. 512; A. Golchin-Ma'ani, &Irahnama-ye ganjieha-ye qur'an, Mashhad, 1347 sh, pp. 240-43, no. 127.
Muhammad Hadi Shirazi is also unrecorded apart from the fact that he was the son of Muhammad Amin. His recorded work, other than the Khalili Qur'an, includes a copy of usul u furu' of Kafi; the glosses and commentary in a Qur'an donated by Shah Sultan Husayn to the shrine of Shaykh Safi in Ardebil, (M. Bayani, op. cit., vol. IV, p. 191, Atabay, fehrest-e kotob-e dini va mazhabi-ye khatti-ye ketabkhaneh-ye saltanati, Tehran, 1352, pp. 62-4, M. Bahrami & M. Bayani, rahnama-ye ganjieha-ye qur'an dar muzeh-ye iran bastan, Tehran, 1328, section 2, no. 119) another Qur'an sold at Sotheby's dated 1099 (AD 1687-8) (Sotheby's 23 April 1997, lot 52), a manuscript (?) also sold at Sotheby's dated 1107 (1695-6 AD) (Sotheby's July 1984, lot 58); a Qur'an sold in these Rooms, (London, 24 November 1987, lot. 71; 28 April 1998, lot 35); Hilya al-mutaqqin sold at Sotheby's, (London 22 November 1985, lot 423).
The date 1094 (AD 1682-3) and the seal of the Shah, in addition to the ilumination, binding and indeed complete production of extraordinary quality, all confirm that this copy is likely to have been the original copy made for Shah Sulayman himself.