A Compendium of Religious Texts

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ArtistPenned by Ahmad-e Neyrizi(Safavid, active 18th century)Safavid, active 18th century

CulturePersian

Titles

A Compendium of Religious Texts

DateAH 1134 / 1721-22

MediumInk, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper; gold-colored pigments, metallic particles, and lacquer on pasteboard bookbinding

Dimensions9 3/4 × 6 1/8 × 5/8 in. (24.8 × 15.5 × 1.5 cm)

Credit LineGift of Mrs. E. M. Soudavar

Object number2012.470

Current Location

The Caroline Wiess Law Building

114 Islamic Art Gallery

On view

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Department

Art of the Islamic Worlds

Object Type

BOOKS & MANUSCRIPTS

DescriptionThis compendium was penned by Ahmad-e Neyrizi, calligraphy master of the late Safavid period. It begins with sura al-Fath (The Victory) and continues with other Qur’anic passages, texts of good omen to be recited after the five daily prayers, and a prayer by the famous polymath Nasir al-Din Tusi. The manuscript’s completion coincided with the beginning of the siege of Isfahan in 1722, which resulted in the demise of the Safavid dynasty six months later. This may explain the switch from a rich, thick paper to a thinner one halfway through the manuscript.
ProvenanceEzzat-Malek Soudavar, 1950s; Abolala Soudavar, by inheritance; given to MFAH, 2012.
Published References Bayani, M., Ahval-o-asar-e Khoshnevisan (Works and Lives of Calligraphers), 4 vols., Tehran, 1345/1966. (vol. 4, pp. 19-31). Canby, Shelia., Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2011, no. 191, pp. 272-274. Nabil Safwat, The Art of the Pen, The Nasser D. Collection of Islamic Art, London, 1996, p. 212. Soudavar, Abolala. Art of the Persian Courts: Selections from the Art and History Trust Collection, Rizzoli, 1992. Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Dated: in the year 1236 AH (1820-1821)

Signed on the last page and on the binding: Ahmad-e Neyrizi

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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