SAFAVID IRAN, DATED 12 RABI' II AH 1000/ 26 JANUARY 1592 AD

Details

JAMAL AL-DIN ABU MUHAMMAD NIZAMI: KHAMSA
SAFAVID IRAN, DATED 12 RABI' II AH 1000/ 26 JANUARY 1592 AD
Persian manuscript on paper, 387ff. plus two flyleaves, each folio with 19ll. of black nasta’liq on gold flecked text panel arranged in four columns within gold and blue rules within red outer rule, headings in gold nasta’liq in central panels, with blue and gold illuminated headpieces introducing each new chapter, with 13 illustrations, colophon dated after chapter one, pages trimmed, in a gilt tooled black leather binding, the red leather doublures with gilt découpé medallions on polychrome panels
Text panel 7 1/2 x 4 3/4in. (19.2 x 12.4cm.); folio 10 x 6 3/4in. (25.4 x 17.1cm.)

Provenance

Mes Rheims, Paris, Palais Galliera, 28 March 1968, no. 75
Sotheby's France, Madame Djahanguir Riahi - Les Œuvres Que J’ai Aimées, 06 July 2017, lot 84

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Lot Essay

The list of illustrations include:

f. 12v. : King Noushiravan, accompanied by his vizier, listens to two owls
f. 14r. : King Sanjar and the old woman
f. 46r : Khosraw discovers Shirin bathing
f. 54v : Khosraw singlehandedly kills the lion during the feast
f. 70r : Battle between Khosraw and Bahram and flight of Bahram
f. 88v : On the road to Mount Bistoun, Shirin’s horse collapses and Farhâd carries her instead of the horse
f. 115r : Khosraw and Shirin’s wedding night
f. 142r : The beggar brings Majnoun to Leyli’s tent
f. 155r : Majnoun observes the battle of the clans
f. 205v : Bahram gur kills two lions to save his crown
f. 215v : Bahram gur hosts the Indian princess in the black tent
f. 270v : Iskandar fights Zang’s army
f. 295v : Observing the paintings of the Chinese and the Roman artists

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