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拍品專文
Illustrations include (the * indicates an illustration that is pasted in) :
1.Rustam kills Ashkabus and his horse, Artist A
2.Rustam captures and humiliates Kamus, Artist A
3.Rustam pulls the Khaqan of Chin from his elephant by laso, Artist A
4.Rustam fights a sea monster in the presence of Akvan Div, Artist B
5.Rustam rescues Bizhan from the pit, Artist B
6.Kay Khusrau kills Astaqila and Aila, Artist B
7.Rustam and the death of Barzu, Artist B
*8a.Rustam kills the White Div, Timurid Iran, 15th Century
*8b. Zal and the Simurgh, Timurid Iran, 15th Century
*9. Associated miniature- Ladies in a palace garden- Indian, probably Deccani
*10. Associated miniature- North India, 18th Century
*11. Associated miniature- Majnun visits the encampment of Shirin- probably Deccani
*12a. Associated miniature-The third labour of Rustam: Rustam kills a dragon- Timurid Iran, 15th Century
*12b. Group of musicians, Timurid Shiraz, first half 15th Century
*13. Associated miniature- Rustam is saved from a lion by his horse Rakhsh- Timurid Iran, second quarter 15th Century
*14. Associated miniature- Kay Kavus Airborne- North India, 18th Century
15. The fire ordeal of Siyavush, Artist B
16. The execution of Siyavush, Artist B
17. Piran captured by Giv, Artist B
18. Kay Khusraw, Farangis and Giv cross into Iran from Turan, Artist C
19. Kay Khusraw meets with Giv and Kay Kavus in Iran, Artist C
This illustrated manuscript represents an interesting mixture of styles and influences forming a bridge between North Indian and Persian painting styles. Some of the most vibrant paintings in this manuscript are the illustrations which are contemporary with the text, especially those painted by Artist B who is very inventive and accomplished in his paintings. His rendering of Siyavosh passing through the fire is exquisite. The twelve contemporary paintings are rare examples of works by Persian-influenced artists probably working in the Kashmir valley. Artist C depicts a brightly coloured architectural background which is Indian in form with rounded domes, yet very Persian in its geometric decoration. This juxtaposition of styles is reflected closely in the work of the Artist Muhammad Nadir Samarqandi, (Inv. MS.31.8; Linda York Leach, Mughal and other Indian Paintings from the Chester Beatty Library, London, 1995, colour plate 133, p. 941). Leach attributes Samarqandi's work to circa 1650 Kashmir, and recognizes his Persian origins. The strong Persian influence in the original illustrations in our manuscript can also be found in the dramatic rock forms of Artist A and noticeably in the stylised cloud bands depicted by Artist B. A number of the faces found in our manuscript are also very close to those of Samarqandi. The proximity of our illustrations to those of Samarqandi indicates that our manuscript was produced by a similar group of Persian origin or influenced artists in Kashmir during the mid-17th Century.
The Persian influenced Kashmiri illustrations in this manuscript are complemented by further works from the Indian world. There is a total of four added illustrations from popular Mughal schools further confirming the rich and varied artistic influences in this manuscript. The middle section of the manuscript also contains nine paintings from the Timurid era which predate the rest of the manuscript by some two centuries, as well as a small fragment from a 16th century Safavid Shirazi manuscript. Notable among these Timurid illustrations is a section of a Timurid Shiraz scene depicting a musician playing music in the presence of several veiled women, (12b), which dates to the first half of the 15th Century. The scene depicting Rustam killing a dragon aided by his horse Rakhsh is similar to the depiction of the same scene in the Shahnama manuscript copied for Ibrahim Sultan, which is dated to Shiraz circa 1430, (Firuza Abdullaeva & Charles Melville, The Persian Book of Kings: Ibrahim Sultan's Shahnama, Oxford, 2008, no.13, p.75).
There remains the question as to why the additional illustrations were added to this manuscript. Illustration number 7 by Artist B provides us with an interesting indication as to why this might have happened. This depiction of Rustam and the death of Barzu remains partially unfinished. The gold was never added to embellish the final part of the painting leaving the helmets and armour on the figures and also the cloud bands unfinished. This confirms that the gold represented the final and probably most costly stage of illustrating this painted scene. This manuscript is a very rare testament not only to the techniques of painting but also to the unusual mixture of styles which flourished to give us this expressive and colourful school of Kashmiri painting. For a further manuscript influenced by the Kashmir valley see lot 140.
1.Rustam kills Ashkabus and his horse, Artist A
2.Rustam captures and humiliates Kamus, Artist A
3.Rustam pulls the Khaqan of Chin from his elephant by laso, Artist A
4.Rustam fights a sea monster in the presence of Akvan Div, Artist B
5.Rustam rescues Bizhan from the pit, Artist B
6.Kay Khusrau kills Astaqila and Aila, Artist B
7.Rustam and the death of Barzu, Artist B
*8a.Rustam kills the White Div, Timurid Iran, 15th Century
*8b. Zal and the Simurgh, Timurid Iran, 15th Century
*9. Associated miniature- Ladies in a palace garden- Indian, probably Deccani
*10. Associated miniature- North India, 18th Century
*11. Associated miniature- Majnun visits the encampment of Shirin- probably Deccani
*12a. Associated miniature-The third labour of Rustam: Rustam kills a dragon- Timurid Iran, 15th Century
*12b. Group of musicians, Timurid Shiraz, first half 15th Century
*13. Associated miniature- Rustam is saved from a lion by his horse Rakhsh- Timurid Iran, second quarter 15th Century
*14. Associated miniature- Kay Kavus Airborne- North India, 18th Century
15. The fire ordeal of Siyavush, Artist B
16. The execution of Siyavush, Artist B
17. Piran captured by Giv, Artist B
18. Kay Khusraw, Farangis and Giv cross into Iran from Turan, Artist C
19. Kay Khusraw meets with Giv and Kay Kavus in Iran, Artist C
This illustrated manuscript represents an interesting mixture of styles and influences forming a bridge between North Indian and Persian painting styles. Some of the most vibrant paintings in this manuscript are the illustrations which are contemporary with the text, especially those painted by Artist B who is very inventive and accomplished in his paintings. His rendering of Siyavosh passing through the fire is exquisite. The twelve contemporary paintings are rare examples of works by Persian-influenced artists probably working in the Kashmir valley. Artist C depicts a brightly coloured architectural background which is Indian in form with rounded domes, yet very Persian in its geometric decoration. This juxtaposition of styles is reflected closely in the work of the Artist Muhammad Nadir Samarqandi, (Inv. MS.31.8; Linda York Leach, Mughal and other Indian Paintings from the Chester Beatty Library, London, 1995, colour plate 133, p. 941). Leach attributes Samarqandi's work to circa 1650 Kashmir, and recognizes his Persian origins. The strong Persian influence in the original illustrations in our manuscript can also be found in the dramatic rock forms of Artist A and noticeably in the stylised cloud bands depicted by Artist B. A number of the faces found in our manuscript are also very close to those of Samarqandi. The proximity of our illustrations to those of Samarqandi indicates that our manuscript was produced by a similar group of Persian origin or influenced artists in Kashmir during the mid-17th Century.
The Persian influenced Kashmiri illustrations in this manuscript are complemented by further works from the Indian world. There is a total of four added illustrations from popular Mughal schools further confirming the rich and varied artistic influences in this manuscript. The middle section of the manuscript also contains nine paintings from the Timurid era which predate the rest of the manuscript by some two centuries, as well as a small fragment from a 16th century Safavid Shirazi manuscript. Notable among these Timurid illustrations is a section of a Timurid Shiraz scene depicting a musician playing music in the presence of several veiled women, (12b), which dates to the first half of the 15th Century. The scene depicting Rustam killing a dragon aided by his horse Rakhsh is similar to the depiction of the same scene in the Shahnama manuscript copied for Ibrahim Sultan, which is dated to Shiraz circa 1430, (Firuza Abdullaeva & Charles Melville, The Persian Book of Kings: Ibrahim Sultan's Shahnama, Oxford, 2008, no.13, p.75).
There remains the question as to why the additional illustrations were added to this manuscript. Illustration number 7 by Artist B provides us with an interesting indication as to why this might have happened. This depiction of Rustam and the death of Barzu remains partially unfinished. The gold was never added to embellish the final part of the painting leaving the helmets and armour on the figures and also the cloud bands unfinished. This confirms that the gold represented the final and probably most costly stage of illustrating this painted scene. This manuscript is a very rare testament not only to the techniques of painting but also to the unusual mixture of styles which flourished to give us this expressive and colourful school of Kashmiri painting. For a further manuscript influenced by the Kashmir valley see lot 140.