THE SHAKERINE COLLECTION: Calligraphy in Qur’ans and other Manuscripts
THE SHAKERINE COLLECTION: Calligraphy in Qur’ans and other Manuscripts
A LARGE AND FINELY-ILLUMINATED QUR'AN, COPIED BY MUHAMMAD SHAFI' B. 'ALI ASKAR AL-ARSANJANI, THE ILLUMINATION ATTRIBUTED TO REZA SANI’ HUMAYUN, PERSIA, QAJAR, DATED 1283 AH/1866-67 AD
Auction Closed
October 23, 11:03 AM GMT
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
A LARGE AND FINELY-ILLUMINATED QUR'AN, COPIED BY MUHAMMAD SHAFI' B. 'ALI ASKAR AL-ARSANJANI, THE ILLUMINATION ATTRIBUTED TO REZA SANI’ HUMAYUN, PERSIA, QAJAR, DATED 1283 AH/1866-67 AD
Arabic manuscript on paper, 257 leaves plus 5 fly-leaves, 15 lines to the page, written in naskh in black ink within clouds against a gold ground densely decorated with polychrome floral scrolls, with Persian interlinear in red nasta’liq, ruled in light-blue, red, green and gold, verses separated by gold and polychrome rosettes, surah headings in blue riqa’ against a gold ground within polychrome cartouches, polychrome and gold hisb, juz and nisf markes in the margins, marginal texts in nasta’liq within clouds against a gold ground, f.2b and f.3a with a double-page spread of illumination consisting of a central lobed panel with gold riqa’ against a gold ground with the surah listed within octagonal starts, f.3b and f.4a with a polychrome and gold incipit frame, in lacquer binding decorated with flowers, the doublures with a branch of lilies
text panel: 26.7 by 15.7cm.
leaf: 36 by 23.8cm.
Sold in these rooms, 22 April 1980, lot 292.
N. Safwat, A Collector’s Eye. Islamic calligraphy in Qur’ans and other manuscripts, London 2010, no.16, pp.78-86.
This magnificent Qur'an has all the hallmarks of the most refined manuscripts of the Qajar period. Along with the name of the scribe, Ali 'Askar Arsanjani, we are also given the name of the illuminator, Reza Sani’ Humayun. On the finispiece page, just above the colophon, the patron is addressed and, although his name has been rubbed out, he is described as a cultured and intelligent man. The lavishness and richness of this manuscript points towards a royal or at least noble patronage.
Ali 'Askar Arsanjani, son of Muhammad Shafi' was a mystic and a scribe active in Shiraz. Born in a family of calligraphers (a Qur’an by his father sold in these rooms 15 October 1997, lot 18) he followed both 'Ala al-Din Tabrizi and Ahmad Nayrizi in the style of naskh, but was also a master of riqa' and shikasteh. His recorded works are dated between 1248-92 AH/1832-76 AD and worked under different patrons, including the royal Qajar court (a Qur’an dedicated to Haji Mirza Abdallah Khan, grandson of Fath 'Ali Shah, sold in these rooms, 30 April 1998, lot 33). He had a long working life copying Qur'ans, prayer books, and calligraphic pages, several of which were sold in these rooms, 15 October 2003, lot 21; 11 October 1992, lot 930; 23 May 1986 lot 369;, and 1 June 1987, lot 123. He died in 1884-85 and is buried in Arsanjan.