AN ILLUMINATED AND ILLUSTRATIONS DALAIL AL-KHAYRAT MANUSCRIP...

Hammer

£800

AN ILLUMINATED AND ILLUSTRATIONS DALAIL AL-KHAYRAT MANUSCRIPT, INDIA, 18TH-19TH CENTURY

This illuminated religious manuscript is a copy of the Dalail al-Khayrat (Waymarks of Benefits), a collection of prayers for the Prophet Muhammad composed by the scholar Muhammad al-Jazuli. The text is written in a clear black Naskh script with eleven lines per page set within gold-ruled panels. Rubrication in red ink is used for headings and specific names, including that of the author, Muhammad bin Sulayman. A central feature of the manuscript is a double-page illumination depicting the holy sanctuaries of Islam. The right-hand page illustrates the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, featuring the Kaaba, while the left-hand page depicts the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina. These miniatures are rendered in a stylized, non-perspectival manner using a palette of gold, blue, and red pigments. The pages are decorated with ornate borders of blue and red medallions and stylized floral motifs. Many text pages are framed by gold-leaf floral and foliate scroll borders. The manuscript is bound in dark brown leather featuring blind-tooled and gold-tooled decoration, including a central almond-shaped mandorla (shamsa) with floral motifs and decorative cornerpieces.

15 x 9.5cm