Walters Ms. W.598, History of Nigaristan

W.598

History of Nigaristan

Vernacular: كتاب نكارستان

As-written name: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad Ghaffārī

Name, in vernacular: احمد بن محمد غفارى

This is an illuminated and illustrated Safavid copy of the History of Nigaristan (Iran), known as Kitāb-i Nigāristān or Tārīkh-i Nigāristān by Ahmad Ghaffārī (d. 975 AH / 1567-8 CE). The colophon indicates that it was completed on 5 Shawwāl 976 AH / 1569 CE. The manuscript opens with a double-page illuminated frontispiece, and there are eight paintings illustrating the text in a style that has been associated with the school of painting at Shīrāz. The dark brown/black leather binding, which is contemporary with the manuscript, has a large central panel with oval and pendants. The border is comprised of cartouches alternating with roundels. All are gold-brushed and decorated with floral and cloud motifs.

5 Shawwāl 976 AH / 1569 CE

Iran

Book

Historical

The primary language in this manuscript is Persian.

1. Transliteration: tammat al-kitāb al-mawsūm bi-Tārīkh Nigāristān wa-lubb al-lubāb bi-ʿawn Allāh al-Malik al-Aʿlam al-Wahhāb /1/ fī ʿaṣr yawm al-khamīs khāmis shahr Shawwāl khatama al-khayr wa- /2/ al-iqbāl ʿām sitt wa-sabʿīn wa-tisʿimiʾah /3/ al-hijrīyah al-nabawīyah wa-al-ḥashm bi-al-nabī man lā nabī /4/
2. Comment: In Arabic, giving the title as Tārīkh Nigāristān and the date of copying

Paper

Laid paper

Foliation: i+216+i

Catchwords: Written on versos, close to the tail-edge

18.0 cm wide by 31.0 cm high

9.5 cm wide by 17.0 cm high

1. Columns: 1
2. Ruled lines: 18

1. Title: Kitāb-i Nigāristān
2. Author: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad Ghaffārī
3. Incipit: اى طرانده بهارستان وى نكارنده نكارستان...
4. Hand note: Written in black nastaʿlīq script with incidentals in gold, red, and blue
5. Decoration note: Eight illustrations; double-page illuminated frontispiece with the title and author’s name, incipit page with illuminated titlepiece; borders with floral designs and cloud-bands; frame

Upper board outside:

1. 
2. Title: Binding
3. Form: Binding
4. Label: This dark brown/black leather binding, which is contemporary with the manuscript, has a large central panel with oval and pendants. The border is comprised of cartouches alternating with roundels. All are gold-brushed and decorated with floral and cloud motifs.

fol. 1b:

1. 
2. Title: Double-page illuminated frontispiece
3. Form: Frontispiece
4. Label: This is the right side of a double-page illuminated frontispiece giving the name of the work, Kitāb-i Nigāristān, and the author's name, Ahmad Ghaffārī.

fol. 2a:

1. 
2. Title: Double-page illuminated frontispiece
3. Form: Frontispiece
4. Label: This is the left side of a double-page illuminated frontispiece giving the name of the work, Kitāb-i Nigāristān, and the author's name, Ahmad Ghaffārī.

fol. 2b:

1. 
2. Title: Incipit page with illuminated titlepiece
3. Form: Incipit; titlepiece
4. Label: This incipit page has an illuminated, double-tiered titlepiece inscribed with the title of the work, Kitāb-i Nigāristān. The interlinear illumination has polychrome floral motifs.

fol. 29a:

1. 
2. Title: Munzir ibn Mughīrah of Damascus being received by the vizier Fazl Barmakī
3. Form: Illustration

fol. 53b:

1. 
2. Title: The daughter of Seljuk Sultan Malikshāh, mounted on a camel, meeting her bridegroom on her way to Baghdad
3. Form: Illustration

fol. 79a:

1. 
2. Title: Bahrām Gūr killing a white elephant
3. Form: Illustration

fol. 113a:

1. 
2. Title: Sultan Jalāl al-Dīn and his men after their defeat by the Mongols
3. Form: Illustration

fol. 152a:

1. 
2. Title: Gashtāsb playing polo in the presence of the Roman Emperor
3. Form: Illustration

fol. 175a:

1. 
2. Title: Tīmūr fighting Shah Manṣūr
3. Form: Illustration

fol. 182a:

1. 
2. Title: Tīmūr and his army during the campaign in Iraq
3. Form: Illustration

fol. 189b:

1. 
2. Title: Sarāmās singing before Tīmūr
3. Form: Illustration

The binding is original.

Dark brown/black leather binding (no flap); large central panel with oval and pendants; border comprised of cartouches alternating with roundels; all gold-brushed and decorated with floral and cloud motifs; doublures of dentelle-style, multi-colored decoration

Walters Art Museum, 1931, by Henry Walters bequest

Richard, Francis. Catalogue des manuscrits persans. (Paris: Bibliothèque nationale, 1989), nos. 65, 108.

Principal cataloger: Gacek, Adam

Catalogers: Landau, Amy; Smith, Sita

Editor: Bockrath, Diane

Conservators: Jewell, Stephanie; Quandt, Abigail

Contributors: Barrera, Christina; Emery, Doug; Herbert, Lynley; Noel, William; Simpson, Shreve; Tabritha, Ariel; Toth, Michael B.; Valle, Chiara

The Walters Art Museum

Licensed for use under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Access Rights, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/legalcode. It is requested that copies of any published articles based on the information in this data set be sent to the curator of manuscripts, The Walters Art Museum, 600 North Charles Street, Baltimore MD 21201.