Niva'i, Ali Shir. Diwan. Illustrated and Illuminated Turkish Manuscript on Paper Second Quarter of the Sixteenth Century, copied by 'Abdallah ibn Sheikh Murshid al-Shirazi, Ottoman Turkey, with an 18th Century Deccani Lacquer Binding

This luxurious manuscript is a rare example of fine quality court manuscript production from the first half of the sixteenth century in Istanbul.  Its rarity and provenance is enhanced by the presence of an eighteenth-century Deccani lacquer binding, and the ownership seals of one of the Qajar princes of Persia.

The Timurid courtier Mir 'Ali Shir Nava'i was a highly influential figure within fifteenth century Persia, and a paragon of Tukic literature.  Born into a high ranking family of the Timruid era and foster-brother to the future sultan Husayn Bayqara, he was well placed at court.  As an adult Mir 'Ali was coerced by the Sultan into assuming positions of command at which he excelled, but did not enjoy.  His passion lay in literature and the arts.

Mir 'Ali wrote his Diwan in Chagatay Turkish, making this work one of the most popular at the Ottoman court where the royal circles were deeply aware of their Turkic heritage.  Indeed it was for this very reason that Nivai's were some of the first illustrated manuscripts to appeal to Suleyman the Magnificent.  Although his Diwan and a number of his other works were based on those of the Persian masters such as Jami, Nizami and Hafiz, Mir 'Ali wove new themes into the classic texts, themes that were important to him personally; such as the question of justice and integrity.  His impact on the Ottomans cannot be underestimated, Turkish poets continued to copy his works in Chaghatay up until the nineteenth century. Even today Mir 'Ali is considered the "greatest representative of Chaghatay Turkish literature" (EI vol.vii, p.91).  

There are a number of Mir 'Ali Shir Nava'i's Diwans at the Topkapi including:
a. Dated 906/1500-01
b. Tabriz 932/1525-6
c. Tabriz 935/1528-9
d. Copy by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Dust Muhammad Samarqandi with 2 miniatures in 940/1533-4
e. Safavid style, 16th century copy, 8 miniatures
f. Herat, 16th century, 8 miniatures
g. Herat (?) 16th Century, 6 miniatures
h. Copy by Pir Ahmad ibn Iskandar, 17th Century (?)

As with many manuscripts of this era it is difficult to distinguish with certainty between those of Ottoman or Safavid production.  Strong parallels between the Turkish and Persian ateliers grew out of the movement of artists between the two empires.  Yet certain features indicate that this work is of Ottoman production. 

As previously discussed Mir 'Ali's was widely read at the Ottoman court, but there are also stylistic characteristics that point to Ottoman production. The rounded turbans with short central cones seen here were worn by the Ottomans and not by the Safavids.  A miniature from one of the illustrated histories of the Ottomans in which the figures wear identifiable garments shows the Safavids and Ottomans in combat, with the Safavids wearing tapered turbans with long batons, and the Ottomans wearing a turban similar in style to those seen here (Atil 1987, fig.37, p.81).

The palette too can be associated with the Ottoman atelier, the use of mint green and light pink as ground colours, and the careful shading of the rocks in various tones seen here can also be found in miniatures of the first quarter of the sixteenth century in Turkey.  Other incidental features include the ubiquitous cypress tree, the sinuous quality of the flowering trees in the frontispiece and the schematic clouds that have a naïve quality setting them apart from the Persian type (see Atil 1987, fig.28a. p.70; Rogers&Ward 1988 fig.33, p.96). 

The style indicates a Persian prototype but various features indicate an Ottoman provenance.  In all probability the manuscript was produced in Istanbul by a Persian artist from Tabriz or a young Ottoman artist influenced by the Persian style.  With careful study it is possible to note the work of two different artists, one using a more traditional Persianate palette and the other a more progressive Ottoman colour scheme.

At some point this manuscript left Turkey and made its way to the Deccan.   The earliest evidence of bookbinder's lacquer in India is found during the reign of Akbar (1556-1605), and survives as the covers of a book on poetry.  Other examples of bookbinder's lacquer from the Mughal court are extant but are few and far between (see Khalili et al 1996, p.234).  Seventeenth century Bookbinder's lacquer of the Deccan is equally rare, but there are known artists such as one Rahim Dakani whose works have survived in the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Khalili collection (see Khalili et al 1996, p.234).

The lacquered binding is an example of Deccani rather than Mughal lacquer work, this is apparent from the style of painting that is comparable to Deccani miniatures of the period.  The tall serried palm trees and architectural features, such as the high rectangular windows, are typically Deccani (see Cary Welch 1985, fig.221, p.327). Moreover, the figure itself is distinctly reminiscent of Abu'l Hassan the last Deccani sultan nicknamed tana shah, the shah of taste.  A just ruler, he was heavily guided by his spiritual leaders and accused by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (1658-1707) of heresy for his liberal attitude to those of different faiths; thus bringing about his untimely demise at the hands of the Mughal army.  Despite the fact that extant portraits only ever depict Abu'l Hassan in the Persian regalia of a short jacket with fur collar; the full beard, snubbed nose and wide girth of this figure all recall portraits of the Sultan.

The third port of call for this Diwan was the royal library of the Qajars. Namely Prince Bahman Mirza's personal library.  Bahman Mirza (1225-1301/1810-83) was the fourth son of 'Abbas Mirza Na'ib al Saltanah.  He is recorded as a celebrated scholar and lover of art and literature who possessed a large library and commissioned numerous books, including a translation of One Thousand and One Nights that was eventually completed during Nasir al-Din Shah's reign.  Bahman Mirza was governor of Ardebil, Tehran, Borujerd and Silakhur between 1250/1834 and 1255/1839-40 when he was appointed Governor of Adharbayjan.  Interestingly a copy of Mir 'Ali Shir's Diwan now in the Chester Beatty Library contains a personal entry by Bahman Mirza's brother, Prince Farhad Mirza. 

The miniatures in the present manuscript are as follows:

f.2r. Shamsa
f.2v.f.3r. Enthronement scene
f.3r.f.4v. Illuminated frontispiece
f.36r. Courtiers on palace terrace
f.57r. A hunt
f.101r. A polo match
f.107v. A feast
f.124v. Majnun and Layla
f.142r. An enthronement in a garden
f.146r. A feast in a garden
f.170r. Farhad and Shirin at Mt. Bisitun
f.186v. A feast in a garden