Harvard Art Museums > 7.2015: Illustrated Manuscript of Layla and Majnun by Nizami Manuscripts Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Illustrated Manuscript of Layla and Majnun by Nizami , 7.2015,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 25, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/352082. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 7.2015 Title Illustrated Manuscript of Layla and Majnun by Nizami Classification Manuscripts Work Type manuscript Date 1470 Places Creation Place: Middle East, Iran Period Timurid period Culture Persian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/352082 Physical Descriptions Medium Ink, colors, and gold on paper; leather binding with gilded tooling Dimensions 22 x 14.5 x 1.9 cm (8 11/16 x 5 11/16 x 3/4 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 7.2015 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description The manuscript opens with an illuminated sarlawh which consists of an original cartouche right above the text and a later addition on top of that. The original illuminated rectangular bears Timurid arabesque vines and the top part seems to be an Indian replacement. The decorated margin of the frontispiece is probably Indian as well. The text panels have been remounted onto new margins. The illuminated sarlawh and the interlinear gilding in the frontispiece were very likely added at the same time as the folios were remargined and repaired. The text is copied in nastaʿlīq script, in 11 lines and two columns to a page. According to the colophon the manuscript was copied by Rafī‘ al-Din b. ‘Ali al- Kashani al-Ghaffari for Sultan Mahmud Mirza (c.1453-1495, the Timurid prince, and son of Abu Sa‘id Gurkan). The manuscript is foliated and contains 89 folios (including 5 flyleaves). The two illustrations appear on ff. 9r and 24v. The first depicts the ascent of the Prophet Muhammad into the heavens. The second illustration shows Layla and Majnun at school. The reddish-brown leather binding has an inlaid stamped center with pendants and corner pieces on the covers. The inside-covers are plain in light burgundy leather. The binding is a later replacement. The later binding and decorations probably date to the late 18th century India. 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
