Extent: 200 leaves : paper ; 105 x 65 (77 x 40) mm bound to 106 x 67 mm
Note:
Manuscript codex. Title supplied by cataloger. Collation: Paper (European paper), fol. i + 200 + i; 1-410/6 510(10+1) 6-84 910(2+1) 106 11-2410/6 25-268; catchwords every verso, lower left. Fol. 1 and 200 are blank. The first 2 pages present a "Qāb-bandī" (table), which is categorized in Tadhhīb art as Isīmī florals. The first page contains a katībah at the top that includes a big "Qāb" along with two small "Qāb"s on its right and left. In the main "Qāb", one can read: "Table of contents (fihrist) for all surahs of the Qurʼān." All margins are filled with Khatāʼī-shaped foliates. Pages 3 and 4 feature two mandorlas ("turanj") along with two sar-turanjs on its top and down. A special prayer for one who wants to start reading the Qurʼān begins in the first turanj on page 3 and continues on page 4, in Arabic. The sar-turanjs on both pages, however, are filled with four phrases in Persian that say: "Recite this prayer before you start reading the Qurʼān." Pages 5 and 6 are a Sarlawḥ-i muzdawaj (conjugated Sarlawḥ); each sarlawḥ contains a "tāj" (crown) and both pages have columns that are open-ended at the top. Each page contains two katībahs, and the pages have Khatāʼī-shaped foliates. Script: Written in elegant black naskh. Layout: Written in 21 long lines. Decoration: Surah headings in ref thuluth against gilt banners throughout; opening 2 leaves with elaborately decorated gilt head-pieces and further gilt polychrome additions to the outer borders; fihrist at the front of the Qurʼān and closing prayers at the end copied in blue and red within arabesque shapes set against decorative floral backgrounds. Binding: The cover is lacquered, and the design is called "Gul-u-Murgh" (literally "Rose and Nightingale" in Persian). However, this is a general name, and in many cases, no bird is actually depicted in the image. The skill proficiency of the cover designer is also above average. Binding includes Khatāʼī-shaped foliates forming a border along the cover spine, which has been mirrored on the... Origin: The work could be classified as above average in terms of skill proficiency in Tadhhīb art and belongs to the Qajar period. Shelfmark: Chicago, IL, University of Chicago Library, Ms1750.
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