Two calligraphic leaves on marbled paper, copied by Muhammad Ashraf al-Razavi, India, Kashmir, dated 1069 AH/1658 AD

Arabic manuscirpt on marbled paper, 11 and 8 lines to the page in black nasta'liq script, mounted on card

In good overall condition, one leaf with a smudge to centre right hand edge and a horizontal crease to upper half, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present two leaves belong to a calligraphic album known to have been produced in 1658 in Kashmir. A further leaf, which like these ones, comprises both the use of marbled paper as well as Shi'a text in praise of 'Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv.no.1986.109.2, see Schimmel 1992, p.41, fig.50). There was certainly an enthusiasm for marbled paper in seventeenth-century India, attested by a number of drawings and calligraphies using the technique, originating from both the Deccan and Kashmir (for a drawing of an Emaciated Horse Harassed by Birds on marbled paper, see Sotheby's London, The Stuart Cary Welch Collection, Part One, 6 April 2011, lot 114).