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These are excellent examples of antique Islamic calligraphy. Dated in Arabic script: ١١٩٧ (1197) Size: 11 1/8" x 15 15/16" (23 cm x 45 cm) In the Islamic world, the calligrapher’s art is held in the highest esteem. Rulers were known to practice the art, for many also copied and decorated the Koran (or Qur’an) in their lifetimes. Court calligraphers would write the manuscript, and later other artists would paint and embellish pages. These three folios come from the same codex and have remnants of the binding along one edge. These appear to be a part of calligraphy exercises, which were assembled in codices. The calligrapher’s skills and likely, his artistic skills as an embellisher of the pages are demonstrated. Many calligraphers had the necessary skills to make paper, decorate, paint and bind a manuscript. The calligraphy is executed over on very thin paper. It appears that all of the papers are wove paper. These thin papers were then glued onto thicker heavy paper boards. The construction is the same in all three folios. The borders were further decorated with gold leaf. Dated, in Arabic script, on back: ١١٩٧ (1197) If the date is the Islamic “hijri” it would convert to 1783. If the date is the Persian date, it would convert to 1818. I cannot read the inscriptions to determine the language. The Persian language, “farsi,” was also a court language in the Ottoman empire. This could be an Ottoman or Persian calligrapher’s work. The inscriptions on the back of the frontis page show the date ١١٩٧ (1197). Someone has penciled in "1760," which is inconsistent with the discussion of the dates above. CAN ANYONE TRANSLATE THESE INSCRIPTIONS? PLEASE EMAIL ME. The calligraphy is executed over on very thin “ebru” (marbled) paper. I cannot determine if it is laid or wove paper (probably wove). This paper was then glued onto a thicker heavy wove paper board. The calligraphy “Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim,” translates as: "In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate." The image below was taken through transmitted light and enlarged. The thick board paper is wove paper and does not exhibit "laidlines" nor "chainlines," which are small parallel lines left behind on paper laid paper. In this example, the colorful wavy marbled background known as “ebru,” is a Turkish decorative innovation dating back to the 16th century. Basically, the ebru method used here was: bands of colored mineral pigments were floated on the surface of a water-based liquid; then with a pointed object, the bands were drawn symmetrically into a wavy pattern; next, a sheet of paper was gently placed on top of the pigments; once the paper absorbed the colors it was removed and dried. The border area is richly embellished with a sprinkling of gold leaf flakes, and illuminated border line elements. The whole page glistens and is enlivened, demonstrating the mastery of the artist. The frontis page has a blank folio of laid paper attached to the back as a proactive separator. The second folio’s calligraphy appears to be lines of poetry. Some letters seem truncated on the left. The third folio’s calligraphy appears to be lines of poetry, further embellished by enclosing lines in cloud forms. Bottom line seems to be truncated on the left. As can be seen in the images, the overall conditions of the folios are good, with rounded corners, some foxing and minor stains. They are extremely decorative & suitable for framing. A great addition to any collection of Islamic art and calligraphy. FREE SHIPPING in the USA

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A must for collectors of antique Islamic art and manuscripts.

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Nawab Asaf Ud-Daula is also transliterated Asaf-Ud-Dowlah. Wikepedia has a short bio and history.

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