Page 149 - ART OF THE ISLAMIC AND INDIAN WORLDS Carpets, Ceramics Objects, Christie's London Oct..27, 2022

θ 128
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
VARIOUS PROPERTIES This is a copy of the Ruznama or official calendar drawn up on
Nowruz, Friday 1st Muharram AH 1221/21 March 1806 AD, for
127
Sultan Selim III. On the vernal equinox of every year, the chief
AN ILLUMINATED FIRMAN OF AHMED II
astrologer would present as part of a ceremony the calendar
(R.1691-95) for the coming year. Copies would be given to important men
CONSTANTINOPLE, OTTOMAN TURKEY, of the state. The calendars consisted of both calendrical and
DATED RABI'I AH 1103/ NOVEMBER-
DECEMBER 1691 AD astronomical information according to various calendars (mainly
Islamic and Julian but also sometimes other such as Coptic
Ottoman Turkish manuscript on paper, 14ll. black and Alexandrian) as well as prognostications for the sultan and
diwani beneath a gold and polychrome illuminated 128
tughra of Ahmed II, signature above the tughra and the men of the state for the coming year. The name of the chief
later illuminated heading in top left corner, backed astrologer is not given here. A copy of a Ruznama made for Sultan
with green fabric Mahmud II sold in these Rooms, 31 March 2022, lot 110.
23æ x 13¡in. (60 x 34cm.)
£20,000-30,000 US$23,000-34,000
€23,000-34,000
†129
The text of this firman relates to the endowment SULTAN MUHAMMAD, KNOWN AS LA'LI (D. 1467):
of silk revenues to the caravanserai of Hoca Sa’d DIWAN
al-Din Efendi in Istanbul. Located at the terminus SIGNED MUHAMMAD MUHYI, OTTOMAN TURKEY, DATED
of the ‘silk road’, ports like Bursa on the west AH 880/1475-76 AD
coast of Anatolia grew rich off duties charged on Persian manuscript on paper, 45ff. plus seven flyleaves, each folio
European merchants – particularly those from with 13ll. of black nasta'liq arranged mostly in two columns within
England and Italy - who came there to trade gold rules, headings in gold thuluth, the colophon dated in Ottoman
in Persian silks (M. Çizakça, A Short History of siyaq numerals, signed and bearing the seal impression of Sultan
Bayezid II, with later owners' inscriptions to flyleaves, in gilt tooled
the Bursa Silk Industry, Leyden, 1980, p. 149). A
binding with flap, the doublures in red leather
further firman from the brief reign of Ahmed II
Text panel 5¿ x 3¿in. (8.1 x 12.8cm.);
can be seen in the state archives of the Republic
folio 8º x 5win. (20.8 x 14.4cm.)
of Turkey (various authors, Osmanli Fermanlari,
Ankara, 2003, p. 31). £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.

146 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty 147
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.