• SHAYKH MUSLIH AL-DIN SA’DI (D. 1292): KULLIYAT 1496
  • Handicrafts and classics, Calligraphy, manuscript
  • 17.8 * 29.9 cm
  • SIGNED 'ABDULLAH AL-SAMADI, TIMURID IRAN, DATED 18 DHU'L-QA'DA AH 901⁄6 AUGUST 1496 AD
    Poetry, Persian manuscript on paper, 395ff., plus two flyleaves, 19ll. of black nasta'liq variously arranged in one or two columns within double gold intercolumnar rules, flanked by a column with 12ll. of nasta'liq written on the diagonal, gold and polychrome illuminated triangular cartouches above and below, keywords picked out in gold, red and blue, headings in white thuluth on gold and polychrome illuminated panels, within gold, black and blue rules, catchwords, opening bifolio illuminated in gold and polychrome framing 7ll. in clouds reserved against a gold ground, with later owners' seal impressions, colophon signed and dated, in contemporaneous gilt-stamped and découpé binding, in stamped box with flap
Estimation
£6,000
7,897 USD
- £8,000
10,529 USD
Realized Price
£30,240
39,800 USD
332%
Artwork Description

Given the exquisite quality of the opening illumination of this manuscript, it is unsurprising that the illumination of Timurid and Safavid Persia would serve as inspiration for other centres, particularly the Ottomans. The illuminator has masterfully chosen a particularly rich layer of lapus lazuli creating a dazzling ultramarine shade, heightened by its contrast with the cartouches of block gold.
Under Mehmet the Conqueror, artistic commissions looked to Turkic, Perso-Islamic, and Byzantine inspiration, and after the Ottoman conquest of the Safavids, there was an increased presence of Iranian artists in the Ottoman court. Both in its rich blue tone and layout, the illumination of this manuscript is comparable to an Ottoman Qur'an from the first half of the sixteenth century sold in these Rooms, 5 October 2010, lot 306, and another in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, Istanbul (inv.no.TIEM 224). This characteristic bright lapis lazuli would go on to become a mainstay of Ottoman illumination. Although the illumination in the opening bifolio relates to Ottoman production, the illumination within the manuscript, such as the gold floral cartouches framing the text, is typical of Persian illumination.
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Realized Price 69,501 USD
Min Estimate 36,463 USD
Max Estimate 54,751 USD
Average Artwork Worth
+87.283%
 
Average Growth of Artwork Worth
Sales Performance Against Estimates
Average & Median Sold Lot Value
2018 - 2022
Performance vs. Estimate
2018 - 2022
Sell-through Rate
2018 - 2022
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