OTTOMAN TURKEY, CIRCA 1750

Details

SHEIKH MUHAMMAD B. MUSTAFA AL-MISRI: AN ILLUSTRATED MANUSCRIPT OF TUHFAT AL-MULK
OTTOMAN TURKEY, CIRCA 1750
The Ottoman translation of ruju al-sheikh ila sibah fi'l quwwa 'ala 'l-bah, Ottoman Turkish manuscript on polished buff paper, 260ff. plus 2 fly-leaves, each with 23ll. of elegant black Ottoman naskh within gold borders, occasional words, phrases and diacritics in red, the opening folio with gold, pink and blue illuminated heading, colophon at end, with 50 miniatures showing couples in amorous embrace and in various states of undress, each miniature with protective leaf, illuminated panel at the end of the colophon with the words amal-i 'Umar, the work of Umar, brown leather binding with central gold stamped medallions and flap, slightly worn
Folio 8 3/8 x 5¾in. (21.3 x 14.6cm.); Text 6¾ x 3.5in. (17.2 x 8.9cm.)

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis. Please note that the lots of Iranian origin are subject to U.S. trade restrictions which currently prohibit the import into the United States. Similar restrictions may apply in other countries.

Lot Essay

Two copies of the text tuhfat al-mulk (the Ottoman Turkish translation of ruju al-shaykh ila sibah were sold at auction (one Anon sale in these Rooms, 18 June 1998, lot 179, the other at Sotheby's London, 4 April, 1978, lot 120) which date almost precisely to the same time as this example, perhaps demonstrating that this was a work popular in certain circles at the time.

The text deals with a series of fanciful reminiscences of the adventures and romances of an inquisitive Sheikh and his dealings with women and a compendium of relevant infromation beginning with the recipe for a 'strange potion' or aphrodisiac.

More from Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds

View All