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Lot Essay
The illuminated shamsa at the beginning of this manuscript contains a dedication to the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II, also known as Mehmet the Conqueror (1432-81). A known bibliophile, the legacy of the Sultan’s love for books resulted in ninety known manuscripts containing dedications to him – a far greater number than are associated with any other Muslim imperial patron. Of these ninety twenty are on philosophy and a further five on logic. Raby and Tanindi mention that Mehmet's bibliophilia was not a constant phenomenon and that changes in the intensity of his demand fits well with the periods when he rested from campaign and spent his time in cultural pursuits (Julian Raby and Zeren Tanindi, Turkish Bookbinding in the 15th Century, London 1993, p.62). The mid-1460s therefore was a period of high incidence of such manuscripts.
The imperial provenance of this manuscript does not end with Mehmet II. It was also in the hands of his successor, Beyazid II (1481-1512). Whilst none of the manuscripts with the dedicatory frontispieces to Mehmet II carry his seal, almost all, including the present, bear that of his son, Beyazid. The imperial library was systematically catalogued under Beyazid, and a number of the manuscripts that bear his seal also have an inscription in the Sultan’s own hand, giving the title and the subject of the work.
The al-Fatih style illumination of the shamsa and the headpiece appears to draw influence from Herati manuscripts of the same period. The illumination, with the use of black and bold colours as well as the open format in the arrangement and execution of the design is similar. See for example the outer borders and black floral bands of a Qur'an in the Khalili Collection (David James, After Timur, Oxford 1992, no.5, pp.28-33). Two closely related manuscripts from the royal Ottoman libraries of Mehmet the Conqueror and Beyazid II were sold in these Rooms as part of the library of Djafar Ghazi, 7 October 2008, lots 375 and 376.
The imperial provenance of this manuscript does not end with Mehmet II. It was also in the hands of his successor, Beyazid II (1481-1512). Whilst none of the manuscripts with the dedicatory frontispieces to Mehmet II carry his seal, almost all, including the present, bear that of his son, Beyazid. The imperial library was systematically catalogued under Beyazid, and a number of the manuscripts that bear his seal also have an inscription in the Sultan’s own hand, giving the title and the subject of the work.
The al-Fatih style illumination of the shamsa and the headpiece appears to draw influence from Herati manuscripts of the same period. The illumination, with the use of black and bold colours as well as the open format in the arrangement and execution of the design is similar. See for example the outer borders and black floral bands of a Qur'an in the Khalili Collection (David James, After Timur, Oxford 1992, no.5, pp.28-33). Two closely related manuscripts from the royal Ottoman libraries of Mehmet the Conqueror and Beyazid II were sold in these Rooms as part of the library of Djafar Ghazi, 7 October 2008, lots 375 and 376.