Persian MS 55 (The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)

Decoration

The manuscript contains ten large illuminated headings, with many smaller ones, and eight double-page illustrations, which B. W. Robinson attributes to Shiraz and describes as Commercial Turkman. All illustrations, the first pair excepted, appear executed over spray-painted stencils which form part of the manuscript's original construction, with découpage compositions and calligraphy specimens subsequently added.

Paintings:

• Folios 9b to 10a: Court Scene surrounded by forty-nine circles with the names of the poets represented in the volume.
  Each half measures 146 × 76 mm.
• Folios 13b to 14a: Two mounted youths hunting, set within prominent brown, spray-painted and outlined floral margins infilled with various painted animals.
  Each half measures 95 × 63 mm.

  Published: Robinson, p. 160, no. 569.

• Folios 21b to 22a: Outdoor scene features a young prince reading, seated by a pond at right with attendants, with white, spray-painted and outlined floral scrollwork margins infilled with various painted fish, executed on dark indigo blue paper.
  21b: 82 × 57 mm.
  22a: 79 × 48 mm.
  Published: Robinson, p. 160, no. 569.
• Folios 41b to 42a: Eight angels, arranged in four pairs, set against white spray-painted stencilled cloud-bands outlined in gold.
  Each half measures 152 × 76 mm.
  Published: Robinson, p. 161, no. 570.
• Folios 65b to 66a: Outdoor scene featuring a young nobleman seated by a pond at right with attendants offering food and wine, with a groom and horse at lower-left, set within brown spray-painted and outlined stencilled arabesques with geometric square kufic (bannā'ī, literally 'masonry') designs that feature the name ‘Alī repeated four times, in the corners.
  Each half measures 82 × 70 mm.
  Published: Robinson, p. 162, no. 571.
• Folios 94b to 95a: Outdoor party featuring a young nobleman with attendants, one offering wine at right, and musicians and a dancing girl at left, with white spray-painted stencilled arabesques at top and bottom, outlined in gold, executed on dark indigo blue paper.
  Each half measures 89 × 76 mm.
• Folios 109b to 110a: Noblemen hawking, with footmen set within pale reddish-brown spray-painted and outlined stencilled margins, infilled with various animals.
  Each half measures 92 × 63 mm.
• Folios 117b to 118a: Two mounted youths hunting, set within prominent brown, spray-painted and outlined stencilled floral margins infilled with various painted animals, the same as found on folios 13b to 14a above.
  Each half measures 92 × 63 mm.

Added compositions: Two calligraphy specimens, one signed, and several découpage compositions by other artists subsequently mounted within the volume.

• Folio 58a: Remnants of a floral découpage design, with resulting stains, subsequently overpainted.
• Folio 73b: two découpage blossoming saplings with birds, now damaged, negative-cut from pink sheet adhered over a dark indigo paper.
• Folio 87b: Persian calligraphy specimen in oblique chalīpā format mounted upon the page, signed by Muḥammad Zāhid bin Laṭīf Samarqandī dated 991 AH (1583–84 CE).
• Folio 103a: Découpage floral sprays, negative-cut from pink sheet with additional painted embellishments.
• Folio 129b: An unsigned découpage calligraphy negative cut from bright pink paper features a verse by Kamāl Khujandī.
• Folio 137b: Unsigned Persian calligraphy specimen in nasta‘līq script in oblique chalīpā format mounted upon the page, quote a variant of the last verse of the Gulistān of Sa‘dī.
• Folios 153b to 154a: An unsigned découpage excerpt from an Arabic supplicatory prayer in nasta‘līq script, cut from pink paper in a horizontal format, but mounted vertically.
• Folio 168a: A découpage floral scrollwork composition cut from salmon-pink paper with painted embellishments.
• Folio 175b: An unsigned découpage calligraphy features a variant verse of Sa‘dī.
• Folio 183b: Remnants of a symmetrical découpage vase of flowers and birds, subsequently overpainted.
• Folio 192a: Découpage blossoming saplings and birds negative cut from a peach-coloured paper, mounted horizontally.
• Folio 215b: Découpage blossoming saplings and birds negative cut from a peach-coloured paper.