Jami: Yusuf and Zulaikha, Persian manuscript on cream, ivory, buff, pink, yellow, dark blue, light blue and green paper, each folio with 14lll. of extremely elegant black nasta'liq in two columns, gold intercolumnar divisions between black rules, headings in gold, with gold and orange, red or blue margins between black rules, red or blue outer rule, each folio with contrasting margin of gold-sprinkled light blue, dark blue, green, ivory, buff or pink paper, (some folios loose or slightly damaged, occasional very light waterstaining or spotting), opening folio very finely illuminated in gold and polychrome (slight fading of blue, light wear at margins and corners), with five full- or part-page contemporary illustrations, (small areas of flaking and retouching), CONTEMPORARY BLACK LACQUER BINDING painted in two-colour gold with a bird and cloudband medallion and cintamani pendants within scrolling palmette vine in cloudband border (repaired, small areas of retouching, some scuffing and wear), plain red moroco doublures, Herat, first half 16th century - 8¼ x 5in. (21.1 x 12.8cm.)See illustration and colour plate 5

Jami: Yusuf and Zulaikha, Persian manuscript on cream, ivory, buff, pink, yellow, dark blue, light blue and green paper, each folio with 14lll. of extremely elegant black nasta'liq in two columns, gold intercolumnar divisions between black rules, headings in gold, with gold and orange, red or blue margins between black rules, red or blue outer rule, each folio with contrasting margin of gold-sprinkled light blue, dark blue, green, ivory, buff or pink paper, (some folios loose or slightly damaged, occasional very light waterstaining or spotting), opening folio very finely illuminated in gold and polychrome (slight fading of blue, light wear at margins and corners), with five full- or part-page contemporary illustrations, (small areas of flaking and retouching), CONTEMPORARY BLACK LACQUER BINDING painted in two-colour gold with a bird and cloudband medallion and cintamani pendants within scrolling palmette vine in cloudband border (repaired, small areas of retouching, some scuffing and wear), plain red moroco doublures, Herat, first half 16th century - 8¼ x 5in. (21.1 x 12.8cm.) See illustration and colour plate 5

Details

Jami: Yusuf and Zulaikha, Persian manuscript on cream, ivory, buff, pink, yellow, dark blue, light blue and green paper, each folio with 14lll. of extremely elegant black nasta'liq in two columns, gold intercolumnar divisions between black rules, headings in gold, with gold and orange, red or blue margins between black rules, red or blue outer rule, each folio with contrasting margin of gold-sprinkled light blue, dark blue, green, ivory, buff or pink paper, (some folios loose or slightly damaged, occasional very light waterstaining or spotting), opening folio very finely illuminated in gold and polychrome (slight fading of blue, light wear at margins and corners), with five full- or part-page contemporary illustrations, (small areas of flaking and retouching), CONTEMPORARY BLACK LACQUER BINDING painted in two-colour gold with a bird and cloudband medallion and cintamani pendants within scrolling palmette vine in cloudband border (repaired, small areas of retouching, some scuffing and wear), plain red moroco doublures, Herat, first half 16th century - 8¼ x 5in. (21.1 x 12.8cm.)
See illustration and colour plate 5

Lot Essay

Early Persian lacquer bindings closely resembled their leather counterparts both in style and in their limited colours. The present binding is of this type which remains quite rare. Another of the genre, though more ornate, in the Topkapi Museum, is known to be from Herat, 1496-7 and a binding dating from circa 1560 with a polychrome figural scene in the central panel (British Museum - 1948.12.11.027) has a near identical cloudband border to the present example which can be dated between the two. (See: Ferrier, R.W.: The Arts of Persia, London 1989, pp.243, 246-7)
The overall quality of the manuscript matches that of the binding, with the illumination, the composition of the pages and the calligraphy all of the highest quality. Though not signed or dated, the excellence of the calligraphy and the overall quality of the book would be consistent with the work of a calligrapher such as Shah Mahmud al-Nishapuri or Sultan 'Ali Mashhadi.

More from Antiquities, Islamic & Oriental works of Art

View All