Incipit:
"بیت الغزل سفینۀ لسان و سر داستان مجموعۀ بیان حمد ... اما بعد بر جوهریان رسته بازار دانش و غواصان بحر ناپیدا کنار بینش روشن و هوید است ..."
Physical Details:
Collation:
ii, IV (8), III (14), IV (22), II (26), IV+1 (35), ii ; chiefly quaternions with a ternion and binion as well ; catchwords present (often obscured by repairs) ; fol.5b left partially blank (perhaps for illustration never realized).
Script:
Nastaʻlīq ; elegant hand in a medium line ; serifless, with marked effect of words descending to baseline, elongation and contrasting thickness of horizontal strokes, pointing mainly in distinct dots ; headings in large, bold hand.
Decoration:
Elegant illuminated headpiece ( ʻunwān / sarlawḥ ) at opening (fol.1b) consisting of rectangular piece with cartouche carrying basmalah surrounded by swirling floral vegetal designs on grounds of gold, light blue, and red, surmounted by a scalloped w-shaped piece filled with similar swirling vegetal motifs on grounds of gold and light blue, all surmounted by vertical stalks (tīgh) in blue and set in a well with delicate floral designs on a heavy band of gold flanked by narrower black and gold bands ; written area of incipit and facing page accented with gold cloud-bands and rich marginal decoration of leaves and floral forms in gold outlined in red ; written area surfaced dyed a faint beige and surrounded by frame consisting of heavy gold band defined by black fillets, innermost narrow gold band and outermost red and blue rules ; occasional keywords rubricated ; unfinished miniature (outlines only in ink) near opening (fol.7a) showing figures in a wood on the banks of a stream or river.
Support:
non-European (likely Indian or Persian) laid paper with 10 laid lines per cm. (vertical) and no chain lines distinctly visible, sturdy, burnished, possibly two thicknesses with written area mounted on another leaf ; extensive pest damage ; numerous repairs (fills).
Binding:
Pasteboards covered in dark red brown leather ; Type III binding (without flap) though not flush with text block (too large) ; pastedowns and flyleaves in textured and coated royal blue paper, foil stamped with a star dot pattern in gold ; upper and lower covers carry gold-tooled borders and corner accents (tooled rosettes with radiating strokes) ; now sewn in yellow thread, four stations ; worked chevron endbands in red and yellow, good condition ; overall in fairly good condition with only minor abrasion, etc.
Ownership and History:
Inscription in pencil on front flyleaf "515 T.De M. [i.e. Tammaro De Marinis]" ; Hindu-Arabic numerals appear in blue pencil in the margins at certain lines of verse, otherwise fairly clean copy.
Contributor(s) / Included work(s):
Unidentified-Can you help supply this information? Please comment!
Posted by evyn on March 8, 2010
Tags: Abdul Hamid Collection, Fully Catalogued, Persian MSS
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