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most famous work, completed in 1258. The Kulliyat is a collection of all his writings, and the present copy includes a finely executed frontispiece and is enriched with numerous magnificently executed headpieces, all delicately illuminated in polychrome floral designs on a gold background. A later hand, probably in early 19th-century Delhi, seems to have tried to enrich the manuscript by adding outer floral borders in gilt, blue and purple colours, adding gilding to create cloudbands around the text of the openings with headpieces, as well as supplying corner pieces on pages with original illuminated headings. While finely executed, these additions are more prosaic in spirit compared with the original illuminations. Another striking feature of this manuscript is the gilt leather binding, decorated with stamped and tooled floral scrolls and circular designs. The doublures are plain, save a set of gilt stamped motifs, arranged vertically in a line, and a gilt border stamped with a repeat design of concentric circles. Sa’di was born in Shiraz in 1184 and, still at a young age, travelled to Baghdad to study literature and science at the famous Nizamiyya madrasa . During the Mongol invasion he travelled through Anatolia, Syria and Egypt, meeting a variety of different people, including merchants, farmers, preachers, criminals, and Sufi mendicants. It is through this process of encounters, where
he passed his time preaching and learning, that he was inspired to write his works. He returned to Shiraz during the reign of the Atabak Abubakr Sa’d ibn Zangi (1231–60), when he was venerated as a highly respectable member of society. The ruler held him in such high regard that Sa’di repaid his own respect by taking his pen name from the first name of prince Sa’d ibn Zangi. In further gratitude, Sa’di composed allegories to the ruling house, which he included in the beginning of his Bustan . He died in Shiraz around the year 1291. Manuscript in Persian on paper (257 × 155 mm), 381 folios as numbered plus 10 fly-leaves, each folio with 17ll. of black nasta’liq in panels measuring 19.2 × 10.8 cm, text organized in two columns, with red double intercolumnar divisions, further text written on the diagonal to the outer borders, titles in larger red naskh or nasta’liq, within gold and polychrome rules, further blue rules around the borders, catchwords, some pages with text in clouds on gold ground with illuminated borders, and floral or figurative illuminated cartouches in gold on green ground, each section opening with an finely illuminated headpiece with extensive marginal illumination,
colophon signed and dated 35, occasional staining, in possibly contemporary gilt and polychrome stamped morocco binding. £15,000
[159599]
All items are fully described and photographed at peterharrington.co.uk
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