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Identification and Creation

Object Number
20.2015.1
Title
Gold-speckled pinkish paper of flyleaf (almost blank recto; scribbled lines verso of folio 1), from a manuscript of Layla and Majnun by Jami
Other Titles
Series/Book Title: Manuscript of Layla and Majnun by Jami
Classification
Manuscripts
Work Type
manuscript folio
Date
c. 1550-60
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Iran, Shiraz
Period
Safavid period
Culture
Persian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/368900

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Ink, colors, and gold on paper
Dimensions
21 x 13 cm (8 1/4 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
20.2015.1
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
The manuscript opens with an illuminated sarlawh and gilded text panel. The text is copied in 13 lines in two columns and the text panels are remounted onto new margins. According to its colophon the manuscript was copied by Muhammad al-Qivam al-Shirazi (1537-1585) who was a famous scribe in Shiraz. Another manuscript in the hand of the same scribe in the Harvard Art Museums is the Shahnama of Firdawsi, with his signature in the colophon page (2002.50.138).
The leather binding is gilded and stamped. The inside cover is decorated with animals in a landscape in relief. The interior of the front cover is mistakenly placed upside down during a repair.

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