Manuscript of the Qabusnama (Mirror for Princes) by 'Unsur al-Ma'ali Kay Kavus, with lacquer binding

1864

Medium: Watercolor, gold-colored pigments, and lacquer over brass layer on pasteboard (covers) Ink, gold, and colors on paper (text)
Dimensions: 16.8 × 10.1 × 2.3 cm (6 5/8 × 4 × 7/8 in.) Text area: 12 × 6 cm (4 3/4 × 2 3/8 in.)
Genre: Manuscripts
Museum: Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA, US

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persian

About

The manuscript opens with a fine illuminated heading. The text is copied in shikasta nasta`liq script in black ink, 14 lines to a page on very thin grayish paper. According to its colophon, the manuscript was copied in Rabi I 1281 H (August-September 1864) by Muhammad Hasan al-Sharif for Aqa Mirza 'Ali. The lacquer binding has on the outer cover a large diamond shaped medallion in the center, which harmonizes with the illumination in the manuscript. The inner cover is decorated with a rose branch over a yellowish ground.