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Sharaf al-Din Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad ibn Hassan al-Busiri (d.1296-97 AD), Qasida al-Burda, Western Persia or Anatolia, circa 14th century
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 GBP
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Description
- ink on paper, bound
Arabic manuscript on paper, 28 leaves, plus a flyleaf, 12 lines to the page, comprising three lines in large black thuluth script, the intervening lines in red and black naskh script within panels, some written diagonally and upside down, f.1a with illuminated frontispiece in blue and gold, rubbed, text in large thuluth script in white, final folio with panel of corresponding illumination, margins ruled in blue and gold, later leather binding with floral decoration, with flap
Condition
In fair overall condition, illuminated opening page heavily worn, thumbed, creases, some water staining, paper repairs to last page, 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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
The original title of this work was Al-kawakib al-durriya fī madh khayr al-bariya, but is more commonly known as Qasida al-Burda ('Poem of the Mantle'). Written in praise of the Prophet Muhammad, the composition was very popular in Mamluk Egypt and Syria in the fourteenth and fifteenth century, and many lavish copies were commissioned by both the sultans and the nobility for their personal use, or as endowments.
There are nine copies of this poem, one of which was commissioned by the Mamluk ruler Qaytbay (r.1468-95), in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin (see A. Arberry, A Handlist of the Arabic Manuscripts in the Chester Beatty Library, volume V, Dublin, 1962, p.55, no.4168). Another forty copies are in the British Library, London (see P. Stocks and C. Colin (ed.), Subject – Guide to the Arabic Manuscripts in the British Library, London, 2001, pp.304-5, L. 1). See also Brockelmann: GAL, I. 265; suppl. I467.
There are nine copies of this poem, one of which was commissioned by the Mamluk ruler Qaytbay (r.1468-95), in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin (see A. Arberry, A Handlist of the Arabic Manuscripts in the Chester Beatty Library, volume V, Dublin, 1962, p.55, no.4168). Another forty copies are in the British Library, London (see P. Stocks and C. Colin (ed.), Subject – Guide to the Arabic Manuscripts in the British Library, London, 2001, pp.304-5, L. 1). See also Brockelmann: GAL, I. 265; suppl. I467.