Kitab al-shifa bi-ta'rif huquq al-mustafa fi'l-hadith (Book on Islamic law, traditions and Muslim obligations) by Abu’l- Fadl Iyad b. Musa al-Yahsaba al-Andalusi (d.1149)

Object Details

• Calligrapher

  Muhammad b. Hamdan al-Adhru'i al-Shafi'i

• Description

  Manuscript; Kitab al-shifa bi-ta'rif huquq al-mustafa fi'l-hadith by Abu'l- Fadl Iyad b. Musa al-Yahsaba al-Andalusi; text: Arabic in thuluth and naskh scripts; 197 folios with one double-page frontispiece (fols. 1 verso-1 recto), colophon (fol. 197verso); seals: oval, tughra, and circular, illegible (fols.1recto,1 recto,197verso), inscription on flyleaf (fol.1 recto); standard page: four columns.

  Binding: The manuscript is bound in brown leather over paper pasteboards with blind tooling on the exterior covers; the upper and lower covers both have a border of multiple fillets.

• Inscriptions

  Pencil notation on flyleaf, (fol. 1 recto) "Kitab al-shifa bi-ta'rif huquq al-mustafa fi'l-hadith written by the Shaykh, Imam of the universe, the learned al-qadi Abu'l-Fadl Iyad b. Musa al-Yahsaba. May God bless him and be pleased with him. Amen."

  Colophon, (fol.197verso) "This auspicious book was completed by the hand of him who is in need of God the Exalted, Muhammad b. Hamdan al-Adhru'i al-Shafi'i, may God forgive him and all the Muslims. The date of the eighth of auspicious Shawwal....seven hundred [?]; Praise be to God alone, God bless our lord Muhammad and his family and his companions."

  Seals: fol. 1recto, 197verso, oval (Bayazid II), tughra [illegible]; fol. 2 recto, circular: This, our record, speaks about you in truth [Sura al-Jathiya (the Crouching), sura 45: 29]; smudged tugra."

  Last folio, back side, upper left, written in pencil script: No. 135 -- Manuscrit Religieux XVe siècle (L .... -- Bid 32) chifa, 6 page, écrit par Cheik-ul-Emam

• Provenance

  ?-1932

  Indjoudjian Frères, method of acquisition unknown [1]

  1932

  Sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot "Objets d'art proche-orient des grandes époques ... provenant de la collection de Indjoudjian" December 19, 1932, lot 135 [2]

  ?-1942

  Henri Vever (1854-1942), method of acquisition unknown [3]

  1942-1947

  Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947), bequest of Henri Vever [4]

  1947-1986

  Francois Mautin (1907-2003), bequest of Jeanne Louise Monthiers and Henri Vever [5]

  From 1986

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery purchased from Francois Mautin [6]

  Notes:

  [1] See note 2. Indjoudjian Frères was an antiquities dealership based in Paris and New York, owned by the Armenian-born brothers Agop (1871-1951) and Meguerditch (1884-1927).

  [2] See Hôtel Drouot "Objets d'art Proche-Orient des grandes époques ... provenant de la collection de Indjoudjian" [auction catalogue] (Paris : December 19, 1932), lot 135. The work is described as « MANUSCRIT RELIGIEUX 'CHIFA' écrit par Cheik-ul-Emam. Magnifiques feuillets enluminés d'ouverture. Art persan du XVe siècle."

  [3]

  An accomplished French jeweler and collector, Henri Vever (1854-1942) amassed a large and impressive collection of

  works of art during his lifetime. His holdings in Japanese prints and Islamic arts of the books, especially from Iran and India,

  were among the most important assembled in the early twentieth century.

  [4] Upon Henri Vever's death on September 25, 1942, his wife, Jeanne Louise Monthiers inherited the work. See exhibits F and G of Agreement of Purchase and Sale of the Henri Vever Collection, January 9, 1986, copy in object file.

  [5] Upon the death of Jeanne Louise Monthiers, as stipulated in the will of Henri Vever, the family's assets were divided evenly between his two grandchildren. His only grandson, Francois Mautin inherited the collection known as "The Henri Vever Collection of Oriental Art and Manuscripts Including Persian and Indian Art and Manuscripts." This work is part of that collection. See exhibits F and G as cited in note 4.

  [6] The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery purchased the entirety of the collection from Francois Mautin on January 9, 1986. See purchase agreement, copy in object file.

  Research completed May 4, 2022.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

  Nur: Light in Art and Science from the Islamic World (March 30 to June 29, 2014)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947)

  Francois Mautin (1907-2003)

  Henri Vever (1854-1942)

  Indjoudjian Freres

  Agop Indjoudjian (1871-1951)

• Origin

  Egypt

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler

• Type

  Manuscript

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1500s, 1400s

• Name

  Mautin, Francois Albert, Indjoudjian, Agop, Indjoudjian Freres, Monthiers, Jeanne Louise, Vever, Henri

• Place

  Egypt

• Topic

  Art, Mamluk period (1250 - 1517), Henri Vever collection, Islamic law, Arts of the Islamic World, Illumination

• Culture

  Muslims

• Language

  Naskh script, Thuluth script

• Object Type

  Manuscripts