An attractive small manuscript copy of Maktabi Shirazi's Layla va Majnun, with twelve illustrations, Qajar Persia, late 19th Century, ownership inscriptions dated Ramadan 1299/July-August 1882

Persian manuscript on blue-green paper, 102 leaves, nine lines to the page written in two columns of small shikasteh in black ink, two further couplets written diagonally in outer panels, inner margins ruled in black and gold, double-page illuminated frontispiece in colours and gold, twelve illustrations in gouache and gold, cloth binding
111 x 79 mm.

Provenance
The estate of a distinguished Iranian academic, California, USA.

The illustrations are as follows:

1. Layla and Majnun at school (presumably their falling in love and one of their mothers finding out).
2. Majnun being taken to the Ka'ba.
3. Majnun at the Ka'ba.
4. A man with a dagger goes to Majnun.
5. A physician goes to see Layla with flowers from Majnun.
6. Majnun stopping the fight between his and Layla's tribes.
7. Majnun ties his hands with ropes for the hunter to take him instead of the deer.
8. The shepherd goes to see Majnun with his flocks.
9. Majnun's father goes to see him.
10. Majnun in the wilderness.
11. Majnun goes to see Layla.
12.The two tribes astonished at finding Layla and Majnun dead.

There are two notes, on front and back endpapers, by Ghulam Husain, son of Ihtisham al-Dawlah. One indicates that this copy of Layla and Majnun belonged to his mother and he is giving it to Princess Shams al-Muluk. The note is dated Ramadan 1299/July-August 1882 and bears his seal impression, reading 'Ghulam Husain'.

The second note states that this illustrated copy of Layla and Majnun belongs to Ghulam Husain, son of Ihtisham al-Dawlah, and that he is giving it to Princess Shams al-Muluk. It has the same date and seal impression. Ihtisham al-Dawlah must be Sultan Uvays Mirza (d. AH 1310/AD 1892-93), son of Farhad Mirza.

Maktabi Shirazi was a Shirazi poet of the late 15th-early 16th Century, who composed his Layla and Majnun in AH 895/AD 1489-90. There is no record of his actual name, and he is recorded only with his pen name Maktabi, because his main profession was school teacher (maktab). He is also recorded as having travelled to Khorasan, India and Arabia and is buried in Shiraz. According to Richard he died circa 1510, and dedicated the work to Amir-Zada Qasim (see F. Richard, Catalogue des Manuscrits Persans, Volume II, Le Supplement Persan, Rome 2013, pp. 851-52, no. 647.

Rypka comments: 'Nizami found an uncommonly large number of imitators of his poem Layla u Majnun, in Iran and in the areas falling under the influence of Persian culture – in Turkey, Central Asia, India and so on. They imitate his form, choice of material, treatment of analogous and sometimes like subjects, preferably in the same Khamsa form. Amir Khusrau, the first in point of time, occupies a prominent place and he in his turn also influences his successors. Among these, Maktabi of Shiraz approaches his model most nearly in his admirable epic poem Layla u Majnun, which dates from AH 895/AD 1489–90 and is a work that even achieves new effects by means of lyrical ghazal insertions. Tremendous admiration for Nizami is reflected also in the miniatures and in the minor arts in general, where the themes are for the great part taken from the Khamsa.' See J. Rypka, History of Persian Literature, Dordrecht 1968, pp. 98 and 213.

For another manuscript of this text, see lot 48 in this sale. A fine version of this text was offered in these rooms, Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 24th April 2018, lot 144.

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