Kulliyat (Complete works) by Sa’di (d.1291)

Manuscript; Kulliyat (Complete works) by Sa’di; Persian in black nasta’liq script; illuminated headings; 383 folios, a double folio of table of contents with gold marginal drawings (fols. 1 verso-2recto), double-page frontispiece (fols. 3verso-4recto), double-page preface (4verso-5recto); standard page: 17 lines of text and a side column with 12 lines.
Binding: The manuscript is bound in brown leather with gold block-stamped panels; binding remounted with new spine.

View right to left

Maker(s)
Calligrapher: Muhammad al-Qivam al-Shirazi
Historical period(s)
Safavid period, mid-16th century
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 31.1 x 20.6 cm (12 1/4 x 8 1/8 in)
Geography
Iran, probably Fars, Shiraz
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1971.5
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Manuscript

Keywords
illumination, Iran, Safavid period (1501 - 1722)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Manuscript; Kulliyat (Complete works) by Sa'di; Persian in black nasta'liq script; illuminated headings; 383 folios, a double folio of table of contents with gold marginal drawings (fols. 1 verso-2recto), double-page frontispiece (fols. 3verso-4recto), double-page preface (4verso-5recto); standard page: 17 lines of text and a side column with 12 lines.
Binding: The manuscript is bound in brown leather with gold block-stamped panels; binding remounted with new spine.

Inscription(s)

Fol. 383 recto: (bottom left), The book of Kulliyat of eloquent speaker, sultan of scholars Mushref al-Din Sa'di Shirazi is finished. May God cherish him.

Published References
  • Julia Murray. A Decade of Discovery: Selected Acquisitions 1970-1980. Exh. cat. Washington, 1979. cat. 100, p. 125.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
SI Usage Statement

Usage Conditions Apply

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery welcome information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.