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About this Item

Title

  • Ghazals by Sa'di

Created / Published

  • 17th century

Headings

  • -  Calligraphy, Arabic
  • -  Calligraphy, Persian
  • -  Manuscripts, Persian--Washington (D.C.)
  • -  Iran
  • -  Arabic script calligraphy
  • -  Illuminated Islamic manuscripts
  • -  Islamic calligraphy
  • -  Islamic manuscripts
  • -  Shikastah
  • -  Nasta'liq

Notes

  • -  Ghazals (Odes) by Sa'di, love poetry in Persian, written in the Shikastah-Nasta'liq script by calligrapher, 'Abd al-Majid from 17th Cent. in Isfahan, Iran.
  • -  A number of works signed by 'Abd al-Majid in Iranian collections bear similarities to the fragment in the Library of Congress. These typically are executed in black shikastah or shikastah- nasta'liq and are framed by gold cloud bands (see Tavoosi 1987: 35, 37, 63, 123, 151, 181, and 183).
  • -  Dimensions of Written Surface: 4.9 (w) x 10.9 (h) cm
  • -  In the lower center of the text panel (that is, at the bottom of the central gutter) appears the calligrapher's signature. It reads: "written by the servant 'Abd al-Majid" (mashaqahu al-'abd 'Abd al-Majid). A note on the fragment's verso, not visible in this image, also states: "'Abd al-Majid, the inventor of shikasta, 17th century."
  • -  The text is executed in black shikastah script and is surrounded by cloud band motifs on a background covered with gold leaf. The central gutter separating the main text panel into two columns is decorated with interlacing blue flower and vine motifs. The text panel is provided with several decorative frames and is pasted onto a blue paper ornamented with gold painted interlacing floral vines.
  • -  This calligraphic fragment includes a number of lyrical verses, or ghazals, composed by Shaykh Sa'di (d. 691/1292). Many of these verses express the pain at separation from a friend and exhort faithfulness to one's companions. Sa'di's name appears in one of the verses at the very bottom of the right column.
  • -  This is certainly Darvish 'Abd al-Majid al-Taliqani (d. 1185/1674-5), who resided in Isfahan, the capital city of Persia (Iran) during the 17th century. He was a master calligrapher in nasta'liq and is credited with the invention of shikastah, a very fluid and literally "broken" script derivative of nasta'liq. He was a poet in his own right and signed his poems with the pen-name (takhallus) "The Extinguished One," or Khamush (Tavoosi 1987, 34).
  • -  Script: shikastah-nasta'liq
  • -  1-04-713.19.30

Medium

  • 1 volume ; 13.6 (w) x 21.5 (h) cm

Repository

  • Library of Congress African and Middle Eastern Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2019714534

Online Format

  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The contents of the Library of Congress Selections of Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions and are free to use and reuse.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, African and Middle East Division, Near East Section Persian Manuscript Collection

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Ghazals by Sa'di. 17th Century. Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714534/.

APA citation style:

Ghazals by Sa'di. 17th Century. [Manuscript/Mixed Material] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714534/.

MLA citation style:

Ghazals by Sa'di. 17th Century. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2019714534/>.