3 Islamic ILLUMINATED Calligraphy Exercise Folios 1783 Islam Arabic India Persian Koran pen poetry painting al Start Price USD 3,199.99 Current Price USD 3,199.99 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Monday, November 03, 2008 End Time Wednesday, December 03, 2008 Location New York, New York See more about '3 Islamic ILLUMINATED Calligraphy Exercise Folios 1783 ' Description izabella2662 Store Note: These are the lines of text in the slides.These are excellent examples of antique Islamic calligraphy. Dated in Arabic script: ١١٩٧ (1197) Size: 11 1/8" x 15 15/16" (23 cm x 45 cm) In the Islamic world, the calligrapher’s art is held in the highest esteem. Rulers were known to practice the art, for many also copied and decorated the Koran (or Qur’an) in their lifetimes. Court calligraphers would write the manuscript, and later other artists would paint and embellish pages. These three folios come from the same codex and have remnants of the binding along one edge. These appear to be a part of calligraphy exercises, which were assembled in codices. The calligrapher’s skills and likely, his artistic skills as an embellisher of the pages are demonstrated. Many calligraphers had the necessary skills to make paper, decorate, paint and bind a manuscript. The calligraphy is executed over on very thin paper. It appears that all of the papers are wove paper. These thin papers were then glued onto thicker heavy paper boards. The construction is the same in all three folios. The borders were further decorated with gold leaf. Dated, in Arabic script, on back: ١١٩٧ (1197) If the date is the Islamic “hijri” it would convert to 1783. If the date is the Persian date, it would convert to 1818. I cannot read the inscriptions to determine the language. The Persian language, “farsi,” was also a court language in the Ottoman empire. This could be an Ottoman or Persian calligrapher’s work. The inscriptions on the back of the frontis page show the date ١١٩٧ (1197). Someone has penciled in "1760," which is inconsistent with the discussion of the dates above. CAN ANYONE TRANSLATE THESE INSCRIPTIONS? PLEASE EMAIL ME. The calligraphy is executed over on very thin “ebru” (marbled) paper. I cannot determine if it is laid or wove paper (probably wove). This paper was then glued onto a thicker heavy wove paper board. The calligraphy “Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim,” translates as: "In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate." The image below was taken through transmitted light and enlarged. The thick board paper is wove paper and does not exhibit "laidlines" nor "chainlines," which are small parallel lines left behind on paper laid paper. In this example, the colorful wavy marbled background known as “ebru,” is a Turkish decorative innovation dating back to the 16th century. Basically, the ebru method used here was: bands of colored mineral pigments were floated on the surface of a water-based liquid; then with a pointed object, the bands were drawn symmetrically into a wavy pattern; next, a sheet of paper was gently placed on top of the pigments; once the paper absorbed the colors it was removed and dried. The border area is richly embellished with a sprinkling of gold leaf flakes, and illuminated border line elements. The whole page glistens and is enlivened, demonstrating the mastery of the artist. The frontis page has a blank folio of laid paper attached to the back as a proactive separator. The second folio’s calligraphy appears to be lines of poetry. Some letters seem truncated on the left. The third folio’s calligraphy appears to be lines of poetry, further embellished by enclosing lines in cloud forms. Bottom line seems to be truncated on the left. As can be seen in the images, the overall conditions of the folios are good, with rounded corners, some foxing and minor stains. They are extremely decorative & suitable for framing. A great addition to any collection of Islamic art and calligraphy. FREE SHIPPING in the USA Insurance fees will be added based on final price. For international shipping, please see below. Great GIFT. A must for collectors of antique Islamic textiles and embroideries. For any information about this or any other item, feel free to email me with your query. Please see detail images posted. NO RESERVE …FREE SHIPPING in the USA. Optional insurance available.For international shipping, please see below. PLEASE, if anyone can translate or let me know the subject of the two other manuscript pages, then please email the information to me. With your permission I would like to post it with the listing.Thanks to the kindness of an ebay scholar the following information is provided: The inscription on the back reads..."Specially signed for Nawab Asif ud Dolla," (or Nawab Asaf Ud-Daula) The builder of Lucknow, India. was Nawab Asif-ud-Daula who shifted his capital here from Faizabad in 1775 and shaped it into a city of gardens and great buildings. Its Farsi(persian) Persian was also court language of India"....and the frontis page "...is Arabic, First line from Quran, Other 2 pages are Farsi, it's from India not from Iran or Turkey or any other place."Nawab Asaf Ud-Daula is also transliterated Asaf-Ud-Dowlah. Wikepedia has a short bio and history. This is an important Indian court document. Great for serious collectors. I always welcome constructive criticism and information from YOU, my clients, and with your permission, I would like to add your comments to the descriptions. PLEASE share your knowledge and information with me, you will be adored whether you buy or not. ................ ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... Izabella Isr FDR Station, POB 1607 New York, NY 10150 e-mail: iza.isr@gmail.com Check out my other items! Be sure to add me to your favorites list!On Nov-03-08 at 05:59:10 PST, seller added the following information: Use the FREE Counters 1 million sellers do - Vendio! Your browser does not support JavaScript. To view this page, enable JavaScript if it is disabled or upgrade your browser. Click Here. Double your traffic. Get Vendio Gallery - Now FREE! Your browser does not support JavaScript. To view this page, enable JavaScript if it is disabled or upgrade your browser. Place a Bid!