THE SHAKERINE COLLECTION: Calligraphy in Qur’ans and other Manuscripts
THE SHAKERINE COLLECTION: Calligraphy in Qur’ans and other Manuscripts
ALI B. ABI TALIB, DU'A-I KUMAIL, COPIED BY MUHAMMAD KAZIM AL-GUL PAYGANI, PERSIA, QAJAR, DATED 1266 AH/1849-50 AD
Auction Closed
October 23, 11:03 AM GMT
Estimate
5,000 - 7,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
ALI B. ABI TALIB, DU'A-I KUMAIL, COPIED BY MUHAMMAD KAZIM AL-GUL PAYGANI, PERSIA, QAJAR, DATED 1266 AH/1849-50 AD
Arabic and Persian manuscript on coloured paper, with the margins embossed with floral design, 37 leaves plus 3 fly-leaves, 7 lines to the page written in black naskh within clouds against a gold ground, with Persian interlinear in red nasta’liq, ruled in gold and blue, titles in red riqa’ against a gold ground within polychrome cartouches, f.1b with a gold and polychrome heading (‘unwan), in lacquer binding decorated with flowers
text panel: 13 by 6.8cm.
leaf: 19.8 by 12.2cm.
Christie's London, 18 October 1994, lot 86.
N. Safwat, A Collector’s Eye. Islamic calligraphy in Qur’ans and other manuscripts, London 2010, no.57, pp.224-7.
The Du’a-i kumail, 'Kumail’s Prayers', is a collection of prayers composed by 'Ali ibn Abi Talib and bears the name of the Kumail, one of the companions of 'Ali. It was very popular in Persia and usually recited every Friday and in the month of Sha’ban.
This volume was dedicated to Mirza Taqi Khan (d. circa 1852), also known as Amir-i Kabir, a famous member of the court of both Fath 'Ali Shah (r.1797-1834) and Nasir al-Din Shah (r.1848-96). He started his career accompanying Fath 'Ali Shah’s grandson and Crown Prince, Khosrow Mirza, to St Petersburg in 1830. In 1842 he was sent to the Erzerum conference settling the Persian-Ottoman border and his negotiating and ambassadorial skills were so accomplished that he was mentioned in the report by the British representative Robert Curzon. This collection of prayers is dated to the year after he became Prime Minister under Nasir al-Din Shah.