AN ILLUMINATED FIRMAN FROM THE REIGN OF NASR AL-DIN SHAH QAJAR, PERSIA, DATED 1264 AH/1848 AD

Ink, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, 11 lines of nasta'liq script written in black ink on cream paper, upper lines with interlinear gold illumination, illuminated officiating signatures in upper left and lower right corners, seal impression in upper panel surrounded by an illuminated device in colours and gold, further finely illuminated devices in right margin

Michel et Cie, 1901

Calligraphy in the Arts of the Muslim World, The Asia House Gallery, New York; the Cincinnati Art Museum; the Seattle Art Museum; the St. Louis Art Museum, 1979

A.Welch 1979, no.70, pp.166-167

This elegantly illuminated firman concerns the award of the Order of the Lion and the Sun to a Christian merchant from Greece by the name of Safarandi. The full text is as follows:

"Muhammad Nasr al-Din Shah announces the following:
Since the excellent services of the Greek merchant, the Chrstian Rovas Safarandi, finest of merchants ..... have become known to the great ethereal ruler whose nest is in Paradise, and for this reason through the bestowing upon him of a decoration of the second class, he has found preferment among his fellows; now also he has pleased the royal personage by his most meritorious services, and he has become worthy of diverse favors and boundless kindness (from His Majesty). Therefore this year we have honored him by granting the decoration of the Lion and the Sun (First Class) that he may, taking the emblem as a symbol of his pride and worthiness, always strive even more in the service of the rulers of this country and always be deserving of royal kindness and attention; it is ordained that the decoration be registered in the scroll of decorations in the month of the Arabic lunar year, Shawwal, Hijri 1264." (A. Welch 1979, p.166)