Būstān,
[989, i.e. 1581].
بوستان, [989ه, 1581م].
Description
- Language(s)
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Persian
- Published
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[1581].
- Summary
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Exquisite copy of the Būstān, the celebrated mas̲navī of Saʻdī (d.1292), renowned Persian poet and prose writer. Apparently attributed in the colophon to the calligrapher Bābā Shāh Isfahānī (d.1587 or 8). Illustrated with five miniatures. Contributions to the cataloguing from Elizabeth Kunze.
- Note
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Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center, Isl. Ms. 299
Origin: As appears in colophon on p.321, copied by Bābā Shāh ibn Sulṭān ʻAlī (بابا شاه بن سلطان علی) with transcription completed in Shaʻbān 989 [September 1581].
Former shelfmark: "594 T. De M. [i.e. Tammaro De Marinis]" in pencil on verso of front flyleaf.
Binding: Pasteboards covered in dark brown leather ; Type II binding (with flap) ; pastedowns and flyleaves in magenta surface-dyed and gold-flecked European paper upper and lower covers gold-painted in mitred-panel style, with large floral vegetal designs filling central rectangle and guilloché roll border around the perimeter ; sewn in red thread, two stations, some leaves loose ; worked chevron endbands in pink and yellow, fairly good condition ; overall in fair condition with some abrasion and lifting of leather.
Support: non-European (likely Persian) laid paper of perhaps two types ; written area with roughly 9 laid lines per cm. (vertical, quite indistinct) and faint chain lines irregularly visible, sturdy, well-burnished, dark cream to beige in color ; written area mounted in leaves tinted deep blue with roughly 8 laid lines per cm. (horizontal, fairly distinct) and faint chain lines irregularly visible, sturdy though fairly transluscent, well-burnished.
Decoration: Elegant illuminated headpiece (ʻunwān / sarlawḥ) at opening on p.2, consisting of rectangular piece with rubricated title in gold cartouche flanked by scalloped pieces in gold and red on field of lapis lazuli (with effect of book cover design) overlaid with delicated, swirling vegetal decoration in gold with floral accents in red, pink, yellow, lavender, and blue, bordered in bands of gold, pistachio green / turquoise and white and surmounted by scalloped dome in gold and lapis with similar vegetal decoration, itself surmounted by vertical stalks (tīgh) in white ; illuminated marginal decoration in saz leaves and floral forms completes illuminated double-page opening (pp.2-3) ; written area throughout delicately gold flecked and bordered in frame of gold, pistachio, red and white bands with columns within defined by narrow gold bands flanked by black fillets ; written area mounted in leaves tinted deep blue ; headings rubricated, chrysographed or in blue ink ; illustrated with five paintings (see p.67, 114, 150, 176, 298).
Script: Nastaʻlīq ; exquisite calligraphic hand in a delicate line ; characteristically serifless with effect of words gently descending to baseline, elongation and contrasting thickness of horizontal strokes, pointing mainly in distinct dots, bowl of nūn wide with dot set just down within.
Layout: Written in 12 lines per page with written area divided to two columns ; frame-ruled.
Collation: ii, 5 IV (40), II (44), III+1 (51), 8 IV (115), III+1 (122), 4 IV (154), IV-1 (161), ii ; chiefly quaternions ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during cataloguing.
Colophon: "Scribal," mainly Arabic, reads "فرغت من تحرير هذه الكتاب الشريف فى تاريخ شهر شعبان سنه تسع وثمانين وتسعمايه حرره العبد بابا شاه بن سلطان علي غفر الله ذنوبه وستر عيوبه
Explicit: "بضاعت نیاوردم الا امید خدایا ز عفوم مکن نا امید"
Incipit: "بنام خداوند جان آفرین حکیم سخن در زبان آفرین ..."
Title from illuminated headpiece at opening on p.2.
Ms. codex.
Ownership statement on second front flyleaf in name of al-Sayyid ʻAlī called Fuʾād reads "استصحبه العبد الكبير الفؤاد السيد على الملقب بفؤاد" ; statement on 'title page' (p.1) dated 12 Jumādá II 1239 [ca. 13 February 1824] reads "انورى زاده انورى عن كاتب ديوان فى ج ١٢ سنه ٢٣٩" ; title with former inventory mark also on 'title page' (p.1) ; clean copy.
- Physical Description
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161 leaves :
paper ;
202 x 128 (122-128 x 64) mm.
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