Manuscript of Du'a-yi Davazdah Imam (The Prayer of Twelve Imams) by Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi, and other prayers
ManuscriptsPersian19th century

Manuscript of Du'a-yi Davazdah Imam (The Prayer of Twelve Imams) by Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi, and other prayers

1836

Description

The manuscript contains 18 folios (including two flyleaves) and opens with an illuminated sarlawh. The text is copied in large naskh, 12 lines to a page. All text folios are decorated with gold floral motifs in the margins and interlinear gilding. The name of God is written in gold throughout the text. The manuscript was penned by Ahmad Shamlu in 1252/1836 according to the colophon. Ahmad b. Muhammad Husayn Shamlu Mashhadi (d. 1267/1848, Mashhad) was a prolific scribe, who was also the calligraphy tutor of Fath Ali Shah’s son. The binding is made of light brown wood with a leather spine. The covers are intricately carved with flowers, two birds and a butterfly. The inside covers are plain wood painted in golden shades.

Classification
Manuscripts
Medium
Ink, colors, and gold on paper; wooden binding
Culture
Persian
Period
Qajar period
Century
19th century
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Department
Department of Islamic & Later Indian Art

Dimensions

19 x 12 cm (7 1/2 x 4 3/4 in.)

Provenance

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.

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Manuscript of Du'a-yi Davazdah Imam (The Prayer of Twelve Imams) by Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi, and other prayers | Harvard Art Museums | KenAI