An early copy of Arifi's (d. 1449) Guy o chaugan ('Ball and Mallett'), copied by Muhammad 'Ali ibn al-Mahmud al-Munajjim, Persia, Safavid, dated 942 AH/1535-36 AD
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Persian manuscript on gold-sprinkled paper, 22 leaves, plus 3 fly leaves, 2 lines to the page written in nasta'liq in black ink arranged in 2 columns, within gold floral borders and polychrome rules, gold illuminated margins decorated with flowers, animals and birds with highlights picked out in blue and green, headings marked by gold and polychrome illuminated panels, f. 1b with gold and polychrome illuminated headpiece surmounting text, in gilt-stamped European green morocco, green paper doublures, within red slip case with bookplate of John M. Schiff
text panel: 12.2 by 6.6cm.
leaf: 18.7 by 12.1cm.
Ex-collection John M. Schiff (1904-1987), New York;
Ex-collection Jafar Ghazi (d. 2007), Munich;
Ex-private collection, UK
John M. Schiff (1904–1987) was a philanthropist and investment banker, active on the boards of many charitable, academic, and civic institutions. Schiff was also an enthusiastic horseman, playing polo and riding to hounds as a young man and later becoming a breeder of thoroughbred racehorses. He indulged his passion for horses and other outdoor activities in his own library, as demonstrated by the present manuscript of ‘Arifi’s Guy o chaugan, in which the ball and mallet from the game of polo feature as allegorical representations of mystical love.
The present manuscript was copied by Muhammad 'Ali ibn al-Mahmud al-Munajjim whose name is recorded by a copy of Jami’s Mathnawi in the Chester Beatty Library (Minovi et.al., 1960, p. 78, no. 213), and an anthology of Persian poetry in the Topkapi Palace Library (cat.no. 899).
