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Identification and Creation

Object Number
25.2015.1
Title
Folio with an illuminated sarlawh; table of contents (table of contents recto; sarlawh verso of folio 1), from a manuscript of Prayers
Other Titles
Series/Book Title: Manuscript of prayers
Classification
Manuscripts
Work Type
manuscript folio
Date
dated 1713
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Iran
Period
Safavid period
Culture
Persian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/368757

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Ink, colors, and gold on paper
Dimensions
20 x 13 cm (7 7/8 x 5 1/8 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Ezzat-Malek Soudavar, Geneva, Switzerland (by 2014), by descent; to her son Abolala Soudavar, Houston, Texas (2014), loan; to Harvard Art Museums, 2015.

Note:
Ezzat-Malek Soudavar (1913-2014) formed this collection over a period of sixty years. She purchased the works of art on the international art market.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Loan from A. Soudavar in memory of his mother Ezzat-Malek Soudavar
Object Number
25.2015.1
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description
The thin and small manuscript of 34 folios opens with a beautiful illuminated sarlawh. The original Arabic text is copied in naskh in black ink, with interlinear translation into Persian in small red thulth on floral gold drawings. According to the colophon it was copied by Ahmad al-Nayrizi in 1125 H (1713) in Isfahan.
Ahmad b. Shams al-Din Muhammad Nayrizi (or Neyrizi) (fl. 1096-1152) was one of the greatest calligraphers of the late Safavid period, and the master of naskh and thulth. He canonized a distinct form of naskh script, known as Persian Naskh. Originally from Nayriz of Fars, he moved to Isfahan at the summon of the last Safavid ruler, Sultan Husayn where he resided from 1100 to 1134.
The binding is covered with a blue cloth on the outside and plain paper on the inside.

Related Works

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu