Page 148 - ART OF THE ISLAMIC AND INDIAN WORLDS Carpets, Ceramics Objects, Christie's London Oct..27, 2022

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VARIOUS PROPERTIES
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AN ILLUMINATED FIRMAN OF AHMED II
(R.1691-95)
CONSTANTINOPLE, OTTOMAN TURKEY,
DATED RABI'I AH 1103/ NOVEMBER-
DECEMBER 1691 AD
Ottoman Turkish manuscript on paper, 14ll. black
diwani beneath a gold and polychrome illuminated
tughra of Ahmed II, signature above the tughra and
later illuminated heading in top left corner, backed
with green fabric
23æ x 13¡in. (60 x 34cm.)
£20,000-30,000 US$23,000-34,000
€23,000-34,000
The text of this firman relates to the endowment
of silk revenues to the caravanserai of Hoca Sa’d
al-Din Efendi in Istanbul. Located at the terminus
of the ‘silk road’, ports like Bursa on the west
coast of Anatolia grew rich off duties charged on
European merchants – particularly those from
England and Italy - who came there to trade
in Persian silks (M. Çizakça, A Short History of
the Bursa Silk Industry, Leyden, 1980, p. 149). A
further firman from the brief reign of Ahmed II
can be seen in the state archives of the Republic
of Turkey (various authors, Osmanli Fermanlari,
Ankara, 2003, p. 31).
146 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty
fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol. Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.
A COPY OF THE RUZNAMA PREPARED FOR THE
OTTOMAN SULTAN SELIM III (R. 1789-1807)
OTTOMAN TURKEY, DATED FRIDAY 1MUHARRAM AH
1221/21 MARCH 1806 AD
Ottoman manuscript on watermarked paper, 8ff., each with around
30ll. of black naskh arranged within tables, titles and important
words and phrases in red, green, orange and gold, headings in
large gold or polychrome thuluth, text within thick gold rules,
the text predominantly covering the year AH 1221/1806-7 AD, in
contemporary binding with gilt tooled medallions
Text panel 8 x 4¡in. (20.2 x 11cm.); folio 9¬ x 5win. (24.3 x 15.2cm.)
£7,000-10,000 US$8,100-11,000
€8,000-11,000
This is a copy of the Ruznama or official calendar drawn up on
Nowruz, Friday 1st Muharram AH 1221/21 March 1806 AD, for
Sultan Selim III. On the vernal equinox of every year, the chief
astrologer would present as part of a ceremony the calendar
for the coming year. Copies would be given to important men
of the state. The calendars consisted of both calendrical and
astronomical information according to various calendars (mainly
Islamic and Julian but also sometimes other such as Coptic
and Alexandrian) as well as prognostications for the sultan and
128
the men of the state for the coming year. The name of the chief
astrologer is not given here. A copy of a Ruznama made for Sultan
Mahmud II sold in these Rooms, 31 March 2022, lot 110.
†129
SULTAN MUHAMMAD, KNOWN AS LA'LI (D. 1467):
DIWAN
SIGNED MUHAMMAD MUHYI, OTTOMAN TURKEY, DATED
AH 880/1475-76 AD
Persian manuscript on paper, 45ff. plus seven flyleaves, each folio
with 13ll. of black nasta'liq arranged mostly in two columns within
gold rules, headings in gold thuluth, the colophon dated in Ottoman
siyaq numerals, signed and bearing the seal impression of Sultan
Bayezid II, with later owners' inscriptions to flyleaves, in gilt tooled
binding with flap, the doublures in red leather
Text panel 5¿ x 3¿in. (8.1 x 12.8cm.);
folio 8º x 5win. (20.8 x 14.4cm.)
£6,000-8,000 US$6,900-9,100
€6,900-9,100
PROVENANCE:
Formerly in the Imperial library of Sultan Bayezid II (1447-1512)
From the library of the late Djafar Ghazi, Munich (d.2007)
Christie's London, 9 October 2009, lot 353
Private UK collection
This is a rare and early copy of the Diwan of La’li, which was the
penname of one of the Mir's of Badakhshan, Sultan Muhammad,
who was killed by the Timurid Abu Said in 1467 (see Annemarie
Schimmel, A Two-Coloured Brocade: The Image of Persian Poetry,
Chapel Hill, 1992, p. 158). There are no other recorded copies of
this Diwan. Our copy was written only 8 years after the death
of the author. The colophon is dated in Ottoman siyaq numeral 129
giving the date AH 880/1475-76 AD. The scribe Muhammad
Muhyi does not appear to be recorded elsewhere. Next to
the colophon is the impression of the seal of Bayezid II which
indicates that this work was once part of his royal library.
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