COPIED BY MAHMUD IBN ISHAQ AL-SHAHABI, SAFAVID IRAN, DATED AH 960/1552-53 AD

Details

AMIR SHAHI (D. AH 857/1453-54 AD): DIWAN
COPIED BY MAHMUD IBN ISHAQ AL-SHAHABI, SAFAVID IRAN, DATED AH 960/1552-53 AD
Poetry, Persian manuscript on paper, 46ff. plus 1 fly-leaf, each folio with 12ll. of black nasta'liq arranged in two columns, spaces left for headings, with double gold and blue intercolumnar rule, text panels outlined in gold, blue and green, catchwords, folios laid down between variously coloured gold sprinkled or illuminated borders, opening folio with fine gold and polychrome illuminated headpiece, the following folio with illuminated frame surrounding text, colophon signed and dated, later owners' stamps and notes on the reverse of the final folio, some staining, in possibly contemporary binding with decoupé central panels and borders on blue, gilt stamped doublures with central rectangular panel and gilt borders
Text panel 5 x 2 5/8in. (13.4 x 6.8cm.); folio 9 3/8 x 5in. (23.6 x 14.5cm.)

Provenance

The Library of the Late Djafar Ghazi, 31 March 2009, lot 42

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Lot Essay

Mahmud ibn Ishaq is mentioned in many literary sources as a great master of nasta'liq. For an account of his life see V. Minorsky (tr.), Calligraphers and Painters, Washington, 1959, p. 131.

According to two notes, the manuscript was in the royal Mughal Library in the 18th century and was used as a prototype for another copy of the text.

For a further text copied by Mahmud ibn Ishaq and for a note on his biography see lot 12.

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