Arts of the Islamic World & India including Fine Rugs & Carpets
Arts of the Islamic World & India including Fine Rugs & Carpets
NUR AL-DIN ‘ABD AL-RAHMAN JAMI (D.1492), TUHFAT AL-AHRAR, ASCRIBED TO RUSTAM ‘ALI, PERSIA, PROBABLY TABRIZ, SAFAVID, DATED 947 AH/1540-41 AD
Auction Closed
June 10, 06:00 PM GMT
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
NUR AL-DIN ‘ABD AL-RAHMAN JAMI (D.1492), TUHFAT AL-AHRAR, ASCRIBED TO RUSTAM ‘ALI, PERSIA, PROBABLY TABRIZ, SAFAVID, DATED 947 AH/1540-41 AD
Persian manuscript on light pink paper, 64 leaves plus 2 fly-leaves, 12 lines to the page, written in nasta’liq in black ink, text divided into two columns, ruled in light blue, red, green and gold, headings in white nasta’liq against a gold ground within polychrome cartouches, f.1b and f.2a with a polychrome and gold illuminated frontispiece, three paintings, brown leather binding with a central gilt almond-shaped medallion
25.8 by 14.5cm.
Please note: Condition 9 of the Conditions of Business for Buyers for this sale is not applicable to this lot.
The manuscript contains the following three paintings:
f.9a: the mi'raj of the Prophet Muhammad.
f.22a: the first discourse of the youth with the Pir.
f.42a: the rescued tortoise who spoke too early and lost his life.
Rustam ‘Ali was probably born around 1494 in Herat and was the nephew of the painter Behzad. Qadi Ahmad mentions him working for the library of Prince Bahram Mirza (1517-49 AD) ) in the 1530s. By at least 1540-41 he was in Tabriz, where he copied a Divan of Hafiz, signing Rustam ‘Ali Shahi, a testament to his membership of the kitabkhana of Shah Tahmasp. He later moved to Mashhad where he worked for seven years under the patronage of Prince Bahram Mirza’s son Ibrahim Mirza. Rustam ‘Ali died in 1562/63 and was buried near the tomb of his master Sultan ‘Ali Mashhadi (for additional information on his life see Minorsky 1959, p.147 and Simpson 1997, pp.271-22).
Approximately twenty calligraphies signed by Rustam ‘Ali survive, notably two (f.70b and f.69b) in the Shah Tahmasp album (now in the Istanbul University Library, inv.no.IUL.F.1422), and a calligraphy in the Bahram Mirza album, now in the Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul, (inv.no.TKS.H.2154), both published in Simpson 1997, p.270. Only three complete manuscripts copied by Rustam have survived, the earliest being a Gulistan of Sa’di dated 919 AH/1513-14 AD and copied in Herat (now in the Salar Jung Museum and Library, Hyderabad, inv.no.a/N.241.M., no.19); a Divan of Hafiz, dated 947 AH/1540-41 AD and copied in Tabriz is now in the Calouste Gubelkian Foundation, Lisbon (inv.no.GULB.LA.165) and a copy of the Gulistan of Sa'di, dated 950 AH/1543-4 AD was offered at Sotheby's, 28 April 2004, lot 30.
Although only fragmentary, Rustam copied another Haft awrang ('Seven Thrones') by Jami in 963 AH/1556 AD. The date is mentioned in the colophon of the Tuhfat al-ahrar, the same text copied in this manuscript, and a folio from the same manuscript is now in the Smithsonian, Washington (inv.no.F1946.12.224 and inv.no.F1946.12.200, both published on https://asia.si.edu/).