Manchester. The John Rylands Library, Persian MS 6
- Source
- Manchester Digital Collections
- Library
- The John Rylands Library
- Shelfmark
-
- Persian MS 6
- Biblissima authority file
- Date
-
- 24 Rabi' II, 824 AH (1421 CE)
- Language
-
- Persian
- Title
-
- Khusraw va Shīrīn (خسرو و شيرين)
- Agent
-
-
- Preferred form
-
- Ǧalāl al-Dīn Abō Moḥamad Ilīās ben Īōsōf Neẓāmī Ganǧavī (1141-1209)
- Role
-
- Author
- Original form
-
- Niẓāmī Ganjavī, 1140 or 41-1202 or 3 نظامى گنجوى
- نظامى گنجوى (Niẓāmī Ganjavī)
- Other form
-
- Nizami, Llyas ibn Yusuf (1140?-1209?)
- Niżāmī
- Niz̤āmī Ganǧavī (Niz̤ām al-Dīn Abū M. Iliyyās b. Yūsuf)
- Niz̤āmī Ganǧavī
- Nizami, poète persan
- Neẓāmī Ganǧavī, Ǧalāl al-Dīn Abō Moḥamad Ilīās ben Īōsōf (1141-1209)
- Niẓāmi
- Niẓāmī
- نظامی
- šayẖ Niẓāmī Ganǧah
- Niżāmī Ganǧavī.
- نظامی گنجوی
- Nezâmi
- Nizāmī
- نظامی
- Nizami Ganjavi, 1140 or 1141-1202 or 1203
- Niẓāmī Ganjavī, 1140 or 41-1202 or 3
- Niẓāmī Ganjavī, 1140 or 1141-1202 or 1203
- see more
- Biblissima portal
- Biblissima authority file
-
- Preferred form
-
- Mawlana Azhar (14..-1476?)
- Role
-
- Scribe
- Original form
-
- Moulana Azhar of Herat, d 1475-6
- Biblissima authority file
-
- Preferred form
-
- ʿAbd-al-Ṣamad Šīrāzī (151.-160.)
- Role
-
- Artist
- Original form
-
- 'Abd al-Samad, fl 1540-1595
- Biblissima authority file
-
- Preferred form
-
- Mīr Saiyid ʿAlī (1510-1572)
- Role
-
- Artist
- Original form
-
- Mīr Saiyid ʿAlī, 1510-1572Mīr Saiyid ʿAlī, 1510-1572
- Biblissima authority file
-
- Preferred form
-
- Gore Ouseley (1770-1844)
- Role
-
- Former owner
- Original form
-
- Gore Ousley (1770-1844)
- Other form
-
- Ouseley, Gore, Sir, 1770-1844
- Biblissima portal
- Biblissima authority file
-
- Preferred form
-
- Nathaniel Bland (1803-1865)
- Role
-
- Former owner
- Original form
-
- Nathaniel Bland (1803-1865)
- Biblissima authority file
-
- Preferred form
-
- Alexander William Crawford Lindsay (1812-1880)
- Role
-
- Former owner
- Original form
-
- Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford
- Biblissima authority file
-
- Preferred form
-
- James Ludovic Lindsay (comte de Crawford, 1847-1913)
- Role
-
- Former owner
- Original form
-
- James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford
- Other form
-
- Lindsay, James Ludovic, Earl (1847-1913)
- Lindsay, James Ludovic (1847-1913)
- James Ludovic Lindsay (b. 1847, d. 1913), peer and collector
- James Ludovic Lindsay (b. 1847, d. 1913), 26th Earl of Crawford
- Lindsay, James Ludovic, 1847-1913
- James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford, 1847-1913
- Crawford, James Ludovic Lindsay, Earl of, 1847-1913
- James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford 1847-1913
- James Ludovic Lindsay, 1847-1913, 26th Earl of Crawford
- James Ludovic Lindsay 1847-1913, 26th Earl of Crawford
- Lindsay, James Ludovic, 1847-1913, 26th Earl of Crawford
- James Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford of Haigh Hall
- see more
- Biblissima portal
- Biblissima authority file
-
- Description
-
- Extent:
66 folios Leaf height: 305 mm, width: 202 mm. Written height: 178 mm, width: 112 mm.
Binding:
Early sixteenth-century binding of good quality. The outer faces consist of a sunk panel of floral and cloud scrolls, surrounded by a frame of small panels and corner-pieces of similar design. The doublures each have a large medallion with pendants and corner pieces, consisting of cut-out work of brown on blue, on a sunk gilt ground with clouds and floral scrolls. The flowers have been picked out with colour. The cut-out work on the medallions has disappeared and has been replaced by a spray of roses painted onto paper stuck onto the medallion (possibly Indian, 18th century?).
Decoration:
Illuminated heading on folio 1b of high quality and in very good condition. Sub-headings fully illuminated throughout, with two small decorative panels above the colophon on folio 66a. All the illuminations are in early sixteenth-century style.
Five early sixteenth-century miniatures, exemplifying court artists' work at the beginning of Tahmasp's reign, identified with more or less certainty to be by two artists, 'Abd al-Samad and Mīr Saiyid ʿAlī. Folio 10b: Miniature height: 193 mm, width: 108 mm. Shirin sees the portrait of Khusraw, displayed in a tree. Green foreground, with a stream and numerous plants and flowers. Between the foreground and the rising hillside in the background is a group of four trees, on one of which the picture hangs against a gold sky. In this setting, Shirin and 19 of her maids are represented, standing, sitting, picking flowers, offering wine and fruit and playing music. Very slight rubbing near inner edge. Possibly the work of 'Abd al-Samad
Folio 37b Miniature height: 178 mm, width: 112 mm. Farhad carries Shirin and her horse. A pale-toned landscape of pink and green under a gold sky with convoluted grey clouds. In the foreground, a mass of rock (possibly in the style of Bihzad). Farhad and Shirin are preceded by one of her maids riding and a running footman and followed by two pairs of mounted maids. Possibly the early work of Mīr Saiyid ʿAlī
Folio 43b Miniature height: 173 mm, width: 112 mm. Khusraw at Shirin's castle. The building rises on the left, with Shirin at the window, four of her maids on the roof and a doorman below. In the tiled courtyard Khusraw sits on a small throne in the shadow of a richly decorated tent, surrounded by courtiers. Others appear outside the courtyard railings and on the horizon with two saddled horses. Garden of green and rising gold hillside with a flowering tree. Blue sky with white clouds. Most probably the work of Mīr Saiyid ʿAlī
Folio 55a Miniature height: 178 mm, width: 112 mm. Khusraw and Shirin after their wedding feast. Khusraw and Shirin relax on the upper floor of a palace, attended by a maid, Khusraw in loose undress wearing a fur-edged cap. Other maids appear at the door, window and balcony. In the courtyard are two guards, one of them asleep, and a courtier carrying a ewer and a basin. Beyond the courtyard railings, against a gold hillside, is a gardener with his spade on his shoulder. Possibly the work of 'Abd al-Samad
Folio 60a Miniature height: 178 mm, width: 112 mm. Suicide of Shirin on Khusraw's coffin. The coffin, painted to suggest khatamband? work, is in a tiled and painted palace interior. Outside, everything proceeds as normal; maids gossip on the roof, courtiers talk in the courtyard, a groom holds a saddled horse and mule in readiness on the horizon. Blue sky, slightly darkening towards the top edge. Possibly the work of 'Abd al-Samad
Acquisition:
Purchased by Enriqueta Rylands, on behalf of the John Rylands Library, in 1901 from James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford.
Layout:
4 columns, 25 lines.
Script:
The manuscript is in nasta_liq throughout, by 'Azhar al-Sultani' (Moulana Azhar of Herat, d 880AH).
Data Source(s):
Codicological description based on B.W. Robinson, Persian Paintings in the John Rylands Library: A Descriptive Catalogue (London, 1980), p. 148-50
Bibliographical description based on an index created by Reza Navabpour circa 1993. Identification of provenance based on manuscript catalogue by Michael Kerney, circa 1890s.
Subject(s):
Persian poetry--747-1500; Masnavis, Persian
Abstract:
Calligraphic manuscript of Khusraw and Shirin, one of the five poems of Nizami's Khamsa, dated (perhaps unreliably) 24 Rabi' II, 824 AH (1421 CE). Illuminated throughout and with five early sixteenth-century miniatures.
Format:
Codex
Material:
Remargined throughout with gold-dusted pink paper, the edges trimmed down so that the covers overlap about 3 mm.
Provenance:
Formerly part of the collection of the diplomat Gore Ousley (1770-1844). Four fly-leaves at the beginning are occupied by an account, in the writing of Sir Gore Ousley, of the poem and its author. This is signed and dated 'Hall Barn Park, January 1837'. His bookplate also appears on the end fly-leaf. The manuscript then became part of the collection of the Persian scholar Nathaniel Bland (1803-1865). Bland’s oriental manuscripts were sold through Bernard Quaritch in 1866 to Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford.
- Extent:
- Rights
-
- Provided by The University of Manchester. Zooming image © University of Manchester Library, All rights reserved. Images and Metadata made available for download are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). Images and Metadata made available for download are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
