Walters Ms. W.673, Album of Persian calligraphy

W.673

Album of Persian calligraphy

Vernacular: مرقع

This is an illuminated album (muraqqaʿ) in accordion format containing Persian calligraphy. It was executed in Iran during the eleventh century AH / seventeenth CE. Lines of text in black nastaʿlīq script are framed by decorative cloud-bands. Borders are decorated with illuminated vegetal and animal motifs on multicolored paper. This album bears a seal impression of the Ottoman Sultan ʿUthmān Khān (Osman III, r. 1167 AH / 1754 CE -- 1170 AH / 1757 CE) and a bequest (waqf) entry and seal by Ibrāhīm Ḥanīf, inspector of awqāf (fol. 1b). The dark brown leather binding with central oval and pendants is contemporary with the manuscript but may not be original to it.

11th century AH / 17th CE

Iran

Album

Literary -- Poetry

The primary language in this manuscript is Persian.

Paper

Multicolored paper mounted on pasteboard

Foliation: 8

Written and decorated on one side of the leaf only

14.0 cm wide by 25.0 cm high

5.5 cm wide by 8.5 cm high

1. Columns: 1
2. Ruled lines: 2
3. Lines framed in rectangular compartments

1. Title: Muraqqaʿ
2. Incipit: ندانم چه كفتند اعيا ر از من...
3. Text note: Fragmentary Persian verses
4. Hand note: Written in large nastaʿlīq script in black ink
5. Decoration note: Illuminated headpiece with the doxological formula (basmalah) (fol. 1b); illuminated cloud-bands surrounding verses; borders decorated with vegetal and animal motifs on multicolored paper

Upper board inside:

1. 
2. Title: Doublure
3. Form: Binding
4. Label: This doublure is made of light brown leather and has a central oval and pendants decorated with filigree work.

fol. 1b:

1. 
2. Title: Incipit page with illuminated headpiece
3. Form: Incipit; headpiece; seal
4. Label: This incipit page has an illuminated headpiece with the doxological formula (basmalah), which reads, "in the name of God the Merciful, the Compassionate." The whole is set within borders decorated with animal and vegetal motifs. In the left margin is the seal of the Ottoman Sultan Osman III (r. 1167 AH / 1754 CE -- 1170 AH / 1757 CE) with the superscript old shelf mark 5012 and (below the seal) a bequest (waqf) entry and seal by Ibrāhīm Ḥanīf, inspector of awqāf.

The binding date is undetermined.

Dark brown leather with central oval and pendants; doublures of light brown leather with filigree work

Seal of Sultan ʿUthmān Khān ibn Muṣṭafá Khān and a bequest (waqf) entry and seal by Ibrāhīm Ḥanīf, inspector of awqāf, and the shelfmark 5012 (fol. 1b)

Walters Art Museum, 1931, by Henry Walters bequest

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.