Nizami's Khamseh: MS 1-1969

Titles

Nizami's Khamseh
خمسه نظامی

Maker(s)

Unknown

Categories

• Illuminated manuscript
• Manuscript

Description

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Paper, 466 folios, 4 columns, 19 lines to a page.
BINDING: 18th century, Persian, black Morocco with sunken panels impressed on polychrome flowers, at each corner and down the centre of each cover. Red leather doublures seme with gold springs. Rebacked and edges cut.
The pages have been trimmed around head, forage and tail.
There is a new spine, perhaps the rebinding was done by a Westerner.
CONTENTS:
Fols. 1-33r: Mahzan al-asrar (Treasure of mysteries)
Fols. 33v-125: Khusraw and Shirin
Fols. 125v-189r: Leyla and Majnun
Fols. 189v-329r: Haft Peykar (Seven Beauties/Portraits)
Fols. 329v-423: Iskandarnameh part 1, Sharafnameh
Fols. 423v-466v: Iskandarnameh part 2, Iqbalnameh
The text is incomplete and is missing the last 439 couplets, considering the version found on Ganjoor, where the text ends at chapter 39, verse 16 of the Iqbalnameh.

Painted decoration
There are 42 paintings, in the Turkman style, by more than one hand, as follows:
Fol. 14v: Nushirvan and his vizier, listening to the owls in the ruined village (second discourse). (The painting is rubbed and has suffered flaking)
Fol. 22v: Jesus and the dead dog (tenth discourse). (The painting is rubbed and the right edge discoloured)
Fol. 26v: Court scene of the tyrannical king and truthful man (fourteenth discourse). (strong flaking)
Fol. 44v: Shirin seated in a meadow with her maidens looking at Khusraw’s portrait, while Shapur watches behind a tree. (slightly rubbed)
Fol. 49r: Khusraw sees Shirin bathing. (slightly rubbed)
Fol. 58v: Khusraw in night-attire killing a lion with his fist before the ten of Shirin. (slightly discoloured)
Fol. 64v: Khusraw and his army defeating the usurper Bahram Chubina.
Fol. 73r: Farhad is brought into Shirin’s presence, in her castle. (slight discoloration)
Fol. 83r: Shirin visiting Farhad’s milk conduit at Mount Bisutun. (slight discolouration and flaking)
Fol. 93v: Khusraw on horseback approaches Shirin’s castle. (some flaking, the top of the dome in the upper margin has been cut off by the binder, Khusraw’s face has been repainted)
Fol. 103v: Khusraw and Shirin, in adjacent tents, listen to their minstrels, Barbad and Nakisa. (some smudging on the awning and flaking on the faces)
Fol. 110v: Khusraw and Shirin consummate their marriage. (the painting has been torn across and repainted, badly rubbed and smudged)
Fol. 123r: The poet presenting his book to his patron, seated under an awning in the open air. (slight flaking)
Fol. 128r: The angel Gabriel leads Buraq to the Prophet’s house. (rather rubbed)
Fol. 137v: Leyla and Majnun at school. (slightly rubbed)
Fol. 149v: Nawfal engaged in battle with the tribesmen ruled by Leyla’s father, Majnun watches in horror. (slightly creased and flaking)
Fol. 162v: Majnun among the wild beasts in the desert. (slightly discoloured and flaking)
Fol. 170r: Majnun’s mother being brought to him in the desert by Selim. (lower part of the miniature rubbed, and the clouds are discoloured)
Fol. 180v: Leyla and Majnun both faint at their final meeting, while one of their companions is attacked by a lion. (Rubbed and flaking)
Fol. 202r: Bahram Gur slaying the dragon. (slightly rubbed)
Fol. 209v: Bahram Gur transfixing with a single arrow the hind leg and the ear of a wild aa, watched by Fitna playing the harp on horseback. (slightly creased)
Fol. 217r: Bahram Gur with the Indian Princess in the Black Pavilion of Saturn. (slight creasing, the upper part of the dome has been cut off by the binder)
Fol. 224r: Bahram Gur with the Princess of Rum in the Yellow Pavilion of the Sun. (slight rubbed, the tip of the dome has been cut off by the binder)
Fol. 227v: Bahram Gur with the Princess of Khorezm in the Green Pavilion of the Moon. (slight discolouration, the upper part of the dome has been cut off by the binder)
Fol. 301v: Bahram Gur with the Princess of Saqaliba in the Red Pavilion of Mars. (dome discoloured and its tip has been cut off by the binder)
Fol. 306r: Bahram Gur with the Princess of Maghreb in the Blue Pavilion of Mercury. (slight stain at the bottom, tip of the dome has been cut off by the binder)
Fol. 311v: Bahram Gur with the Chinese Princess in the Sandalwood Pavilion of Jupiter. (slight flaking and discolouration, tip of the dome has been cut off by the binder, heavily repainted, Bahram Gur’s face was not very well done)
Fol. 316v: Bahram Gur with the Iranian Princess in the White Pavilion of Venus. (slight discolouration and flaking, tip of the dome has been cut off by the binder, faces repainted)
Fol. 322r: Bahram Gur and the shepherd who hanged his dog. (some discolouration, slight creasing)
Fol. 341r: The finding of the infant Iskandar by King Faylikus outside a ruined building, beside the dead body of his mother. (some discolouration, flaking)
Fol. 348v: Iskandar in battle with the Zangi. (slightly rubbed, some flaking, repainted with black lines)
Fol. 363r: Iskandar supporting the dying Dara, while his murderers are led captive before him. (slightly rubbed)
Fol. 368v: The sage Balinas defeating the fire-dragon in the fire-temple of Tabriz.
Fol. 377v: Iskandar, disguised as an envoy, is recognised by the Queen Nushaba. (slightly rubbed, some discoloration)
Fol. 392r: Iskandar hunting. (some discolouration)
Fol. 399r: The competition between the men of Rum and the men of Chin in painting a wall-decoration.
Fol. 411r: Iskandar lassoing the Russian demon-champion. (discoloured and repainted)
Fol. 419v: Iskandar finds Elias and Khidr at the Well of Life. (slight creasing)
Fol. 433r: The Coptic lady Miryam consulted by alchemists. (rubbed and discoloured in the lower part of the painting, some flaking, partly offset)
Fol. 443r: Iskandar and the Seven Sages, in learned discussion. (slight discolouration, partly offset)
Fol. 452r: Iskandar sails the unknown seas to Morocco with three companions and a boatman, in a long black boat with a single mast and sail. (some discoloration at the top and on the right side)
Fol. 459r: Iskandar watches from his tent the water-nymphs bathing. (slightly rubbed, and part offset on opposite page)

Ornamentation
Each page is set within five rules of blue, black and gold, and the columns of text are divided vertically by two lines of gold within black rules. The title-page (sarlauh) is fully decorated in a design of formal ornament mainly in blue and gold, with sprays of flowers in various colours and some knotted ornament in vermillion. Headings (unwan) are found at the start of each of Nezami’s books, fols. 33v, 125v, 189v, 329v, 423v.
Numerous pages, usually before paintings, present small triangles to allow for oblique writing, they can be found throughout the text, in particular on folios: 14r, 33r, 82v,93r,110r,122r,123v,124r etc.

Inscriptions
The text presents many notes, like on pages 33r, 35v, 36r, 36v, 37r, 58r, 91r, 95r, 104r, 159v,161r, 161v, 164v,165r,314v. The note on page 354r seems to be by a different hand. Folio 358v presents a long note.
There are also corrections in the margins, like on folio 102r.
Verses are added at the bottom of the text blocks but also on the left, outside the framed text, sometimes words are inserted between lines like on folios 158v, 159r, 159v, 161r,161v.

Notes

History note: “The slave Ali al-Husayni” [following the reading supplied by B.W. Robinson] seal mark on folios 125v, 189v, 316v, 423v; probably Charles Fairfax Murray; given to John Henry Middleton "C.F.M. to J.H.M., Dec. 17, 1892"; by descent to Mrs M.M. Reynolds.

Legal notes

Given by Mrs M.M. Reynolds, as if bequeathed by her father, Dr J.H. Middleton, former Director of the Museum (1889-93), 1969