A Qajar calligraphic album, Iran, 16th-19th century The album in concertina format...

A Qajar calligraphic album,

Iran, 16th-19th century

The album in concertina format and comprising 20 calligraphies, including one drawing on textile with later attribution to Bihzad on the mount, a Qajar assemblage, most likely by 'Abd al-Wahhab Khan, Nizam ul-Mulk (1848-1916), rebound in the 20th-century; the elegant drawing in pen and wash depicts a Sufi under a tree approached by a supplicant, elements of careful detail survive in the landscape and the Sufi’s face but much of the drawing is faint; the 19 calligraphic panels include majuscule lines excised from a Timurid or early Safavid Qur’an, Qajar shikasteh, verse in orange-red, undated but with the minuscule signature of Sheikh Muhammad Masoud, a pair of calligraphies signed Al-Tarhati Tafrieh dated 1152 AH/1740 AD), and a group of sheets in various styles, heavily varnished; some with marbled paper borders; the majority of the works is are Qajar, as are the mounts, but the collection spans several hundred years and suggests a thoughtful selection, including secular and religious material alike, many of the folios have loosely inserted 20th-century transcriptions to assist a reader.

28.5 x 19.5cm.

Provenance: Formerly in the private collection of 'Abd al-Wahhab Khan, Nizam ul-Mulk (1848-1916) and thence by descent in the early 20th century to a private London collection