Khamsa (Quintet) by Amir Khusraw Dihlavi (d.1325)

Manuscript; Khamsa (Quintet) by Amir Khusraw Dihlavi; Persian in black nasta’liq script; 238 folios with a frontispiece (fols. 1verso, 2recto), 5 sarlawhs (fols. 2verso, 44verso, 99verso,134verso, 180verso), 13 paintings (30recto, 46verso, 54verso, 107recto, 120verso, 148recto, 152 recto, 160verso, 167recto, 172recto, 197recto, 202verso, 207recto), 1 dated colophon and inscriptions on folio 238recto; 2 seals (fols. 1recto, 1 verso); standard page: 4 columns, 19 lines of text.
Binding: The manuscript is bound in black leather over paper pasteboards with block-stamped exterior covers and doublures of red leather.

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Historical period(s)
Safavid period, 1562-63 (970 A.H.)
Medium
Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 20.7 x 13 cm (8 1/8 x 5 1/8 in)
Geography
Iran, Astarabad
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1986.56
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Manuscript

Keywords
archery, death, Henri Vever collection, Iran, Khamsa, king, nasta'liq script, Safavid period (1501 - 1722), WWII-era provenance, youth
Provenance
Provenance information is currently unavailable
Description

Manuscript; Khamsa (Quintet) by Amir Khusraw Dihlavi; Persian in black nasta'liq script; 238 folios with a frontispiece (fols. 1verso, 2recto), 5 sarlawhs (fols. 2verso, 44verso, 99verso,134verso, 180verso), 13 paintings (30recto, 46verso, 54verso, 107recto, 120verso, 148recto, 152 recto, 160verso, 167recto, 172recto, 197recto, 202verso, 207recto), 1 dated colophon and inscriptions on folio 238recto; 2 seals (fols. 1recto, 1 verso); standard page: 4 columns, 19 lines of text.
Binding: The manuscript is bound in black leather over paper pasteboards with block-stamped exterior covers and doublures of red leather.

Inscription(s)

Fol. 238recto: The book was finished with the help of the munificent Lord during the month of Jumada 1 in the year [A.H.] 970 [A.D. December 1562-January 1563]; seals: (fol. 1 recto, oval) Ali Muhammad; (fol. 1verso, square) Muhammad Ali Abd al-Baqi al-Husayni.

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. 204, p. 173.
  • Fereshteh Daftari. The Influence of "Persian Art" on Gauguin, Matisse, and Kandinsky. Ann Arbor. p. 175, 314.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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