Kitāb-i Gulistān,
[mid 19th century?].
کتاب گلستان, [نیمه قرن 19م؟].
Description
- Language(s)
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Persian
- Published
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[Tehran, 1840-1860?].
- Summary
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Elegant copy of the Gulistān, celebrated collection of moralizing anecdotes in rhymed prose interspersed with verse (maqāmah form), composed in 1258 by the renowned Persian poet and prose writer, Saʻdī (d.1292). Contributions to the cataloguing from Elizabeth Kunze.
- Note
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Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center, Isl. Ms. 310
Origin: Lacks dated colophon ; decoration, etc. would suggest mid to late 19th century. Apparently executed by the same craftsmen who produced Isl. Ms. 298.
Former shelfmark: "203 T. De M. [i.e. Tammaro De Marinis]" inscribed in pencil on upper pastedown.
Binding: Thin boards (semi-limp) covered in dark green to black leather ; Western style binding ; pastedowns and flyleaves in light blue-green wove paper ; spine gold-stamped with title and double bands (at head, tail and above and below title) ; sewn in white thread over three recessed cords, also stab sewn, tightly bound ; Western style endbands ; overall in fair condition with minor abrasion, excess adhesive and some breakage at gutters, etc.
Support: non-European (likely Persian or Indian) laid paper with 11-12 laid lines per cm. (vertical or horizontal, quite distinct, fairly straight) and chain lines only rarely visible, quite dense and sturdy though transluscent, highly sized and burnished, gray in tone ; some staining, minor pest damage, etc.
Decoration: Exquisite illuminate headpiece (ʻunwān / sarlawḥ) at opening on p.2 consisting of rectangular piece with empty gold cartouche flanked by floral vegetal motifs in gold, green, lavender, red and white on grounds of dark blue, surmounted by large piece evoking dome composed of swirling arabesques and floral motifs in shades of gold, orange, lavender, blue, green and white on a gold ground, all set in a well of dark blue (with white dots), bright spring green, orange and gold bands ; gold cloud-bands and finely executed illuminated marginal decoration (with floral motifs and saz leaves in gold, lavender and blue) complete the double-page illumination (pp.2-3) ; written area surrounded by frame consisting of heavy gold band with outermost blue rule ; margin defined by narrow gold band ; keywords rubricated ; textual dividers in the form of four dots in red.
Script: Shikastah-nastaʻlīq ; elegant hand in a thin line ; compact and freely ligatured with effect of words descending to baseline, pointing (somewhat casual) in distinct dots, elongation of horizontal strokes and sweeping descenders (many reversed or recurved).
Layout: Written in 15 lines per page ; frame-ruled.
Collation: i, IV (8), II (12), IV (20), III (26), 3 IV (50), IV + 1 (59), i ; chiefly quaternions ; catchwords present ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during cataloguing.
Colophon: "Scribal," rectangular, reads "الحمد لله وصلی الله علی محمد واله تم الکتاب بعون الملک الوهاب در روزشنبه شهر جمادی الاولی [؟] صانها الله عن الحدثان تحریر شد در دار الخلافه طهران یا ناظر فیه اسئل بالله مرحمة علی المصنف واستغفر لصاحبه واطلب لنفسک من خیر تید بها من بعد ذلک غفرانا لکاتبه ..."
Explicit: "تمام شد کتاب گلستان جناب شیخ سعدی شیرازی رحمة الله بتوفیق حضرت باری عز اسمه هو المستعان وعلیه التکلان بدانکه در این کتاب چنانکه رسم مؤلفانست و داب مصنفانست از اشعار متقدمان بطریق استعاره تلفیقی نرفت ... بر رسولان بلاغ باشد و بس"
Incipit: "منت خدایرا عز و جل که طاعتش موجب قربتست ..."
Title from closing matter on p.117.
Ms. codex.
Inventory marks (possibly provided by book seller) on 'title page' (p.1) including "(١)" (compare mark in Isl. Ms. 298) ; clean copy.
- Physical Description
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59 leaves :
paper ;
198 x 125 (140 x 78) mm. bound to 205 x 134 mm.
Viewability
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