Hakīm Sanā’ī: Dīvān (Collected poems). Persia 1605.
Department of Oriental and Judaica Collections, Cod. Pers. Add. 20

Front cover

Persian lacquered binding.
Lacquer works of Chinese inspiration became fashionable in Iran in the Qājār period (1779-1924). A base of papier-mâché and chalk was coated with several thin layers – often transparent and with gold dust – of Persian lacquer. The technique was especially used for bookbindings and pen boxes and they were often decorated with flowers in European style, i.e. the flowers are fairly easy to identify.
The central motif on this binding consists of different kinds of roses – in the middle the red rose of Rašt. Also the white Viburnum is easily recognizable. It is a late binding (c. 1850) of an old illuminated manuscript containing Hakīm Sanā’ī’s (d. 1130) Dīvān (collected poems) written in a fine nasta’līq script in 1605.

24.8 x 15.2 cm.

See more about Hakīm Sanā’ī on the web page Hakim Sana’i of Ghazni.

© Det Kongelige Bibliotek 2003