Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) by Nizami; recto: text; verso: text: The twelfth discourse: on the lamentation of fortune

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of Khamsa (Quintet) by Nizami; text: Persian in black and white nasta’liq script on gold-flecked paper; recto: text, two columns, eleven lines; verso: The twelfth discourse: on the lamentation of fortune; two columns, ten lines, illuminated heading; one of the group of four folios.
Border: The recto is set in gold, red, purple and blue rulings on blue paper with flowers, birds, and marginal cartouches stenciled in white. The verso is set in gold, purple and blue rulings on cream-colored paper with animal and floral motifs and marginal cartouches painted in gold.

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Historical period(s)
Safavid period, circa 1575
Medium
Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 26.4 x 17.2 cm (10 3/8 x 6 3/4 in)
Geography
Iran, Khurasan
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S1986.383
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Detached manuscript folio

Keywords
flower, Henri Vever collection, Iran, Khamsa, poems, Safavid period (1501 - 1722)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of Khamsa (Quintet) by Nizami; text: Persian in black and white nasta'liq script on gold-flecked paper; recto: text, two columns, eleven lines; verso: The twelfth discourse: on the lamentation of fortune; two columns, ten lines, illuminated heading; one of the group of four folios.
Border: The recto is set in gold, red, purple and blue rulings on blue paper with flowers, birds, and marginal cartouches stenciled in white. The verso is set in gold, purple and blue rulings on cream-colored paper with animal and floral motifs and marginal cartouches painted in gold.

Published References
  • Glenn D. Lowry, Milo Cleveland Beach, Elisabeth West FitzHugh, Susan Nemanzee, Janet Snyder. An Annotated and Illustrated Checklist of the Vever Collection. Washington and Seattle. cat. 263, p. 232.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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