An Illustrated and Illuminated Leaf from the Shah Isma'il II Shahnameh: The party after homage paid to Kay Khosraw by nobles following his enthronement, ascribed to the artist Burji, Qazvin, Persia, Safavid, circa 1577

Gouache heightened with gold on paper, with 10 lines of text written in Nasta'liq script in black ink in 4 columns separated by double intercolumnar rules in gold, further text written diagonally in the the upper margin, margins ruled in colours and gold, laid down on card

Gallery of G.J. Demotte, Paris
Collection of Rudolf Martin (1864-1925), thence by family descent.

Rudolf Martin was a renowned Anthropology professor, who taught at the University of Zurich and the University of Munich, and wrote the handbook Lehrbuch der Anthropologie in Systematischer Darstellung, Mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der anthropologischen Methoden fur Studierende, Ärzte und Forschungsreisende, first published in 1914 and re-printed in 1928 and 1956.

 

'Miniatures Persanes', Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, June-October 1912. Three miniatures from this manuscript were reproduced in Georges Marteau & Henri Vever, Miniatures Persanes (Exposées au Musée des Arts Décoratifs), Paris 1913, pll.CII, CIII, CIV.

A. Welch, Artists for the Shah, New Haven, 1976, fig.65

Margins have been trimmed and leaf laid down on card, small area of paint loss to face of Kay Khosraw and minor loss of blue paint on the frieze bottom right, otherwise colours bright and vivid, some foxing and general discolouration to the text panels and unpainted areas, in overall good condition, as viewed
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This Illustrated Leaf of imperial provenance, ascribed to the artist Burji, epitomises the grandeur and accomplishment of the Qazvini school at its zenith.

The Shahnameh of Shah Isma'il II (r.1537-77) is particularly significant within the history of Persian painting in that it bridges the periods of the 'classic' style of Shah Tahmasp's reign and the new direction taken by the painters of Shah 'Abbas's capital Isfahan. Whilst Isma'il II was a violent and incompetent ruler who executed members of his own supporters as well as those of opposing factions, he did not neglect his role as a patron of the arts. He was a highly cultured individual who had hopes to rebuild the famous atelier of his father's early years and probably commissioned this Shahnameh at the beginning of his rule in 1576, assembling an atelier of young artists in his capital of Qazvin, including Zayn al-Abidin, Sadiq Beg, 'Ali Ashgar, Naqdi, Murad, Mihrab, Burji and Siyavush.

Soon after the complete manuscript was at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, it was dismembered by the dealer G.J. Demotte, and more than half the pages were sold to Edmund Rothschild, from whose collection twenty-one paintings and one illuminated page were sold in Colnaghi's in 1976. This famous sale was also marked by the publication of B.W. Robinson's accompanying catalogue Persian and Mughal Art (London 1976), in which many of the paintings were illustrated. Of the leaves from this manuscript he says: "...They bear contemporary attributions to Sadiqi, Siyawush, Zayn al-'Abdin, and other leading court artists of the time...As a group they form one of the most interesting and important items in the exhibition." (Robinson, op.cit., p.15).

Just as we see the name 'Burji' written here in the top left outer margin, other leaves from Shah Isma'il II's Shahnameh bear attributions to leading artists of the period in the same cursive hand. Probably inscribed by the Shah's librarian or co-ordinator of the manuscript, these ascriptions immediately forge a link to other leaves from the manuscript. The artist Burji, alongside Mihrab, is known only for his work in the Shah Isma'il II Shahnameh, and this leaf is the only miniature in the manuscript that bears his name (see A. Welch, Artists for the Shah, New Haven, 1976, p.213, where this leaf is published).  

Other leaves from the same manuscript are in the Collection of Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan (published in Canby 1998, pp.56-62, nos.32-37); The Riza 'Abbasi Museum, Tehran (ibid., p.56) and the Art and History Trust Collection (published in Soudavar 1992, pp.250-253, nos.99-100). Leaves from the Shah Isma'il II Shahnameh were sold in these rooms 7 October 2009, lot 37; 27 April 2005, lot 22; 18 October 1995, lots 75-76 and 7 December 1970, lot 48.