Top of page

Manuscript/Mixed Material A friend's letter

About this Item

Title

  • A friend's letter

Created / Published

  • 17th-18th centuries

Headings

  • -  Calligraphy, Arabic
  • -  Calligraphy, Persian
  • -  Manuscripts, Persian--Washington (D.C.)
  • -  Iran
  • -  Arabic script calligraphy
  • -  Illuminated Islamic manuscripts
  • -  Islamic calligraphy
  • -  Islamic manuscripts
  • -  Shikastah
  • -  Nasta'liq

Notes

  • -  A letter composed for a friend, in Persian written in shikastah-nasta'liq script with four bayts (verses) of a lyrical poem (ghazal) from Firdawsi's "Shahnamah" from 19th Cent Iran.
  • -  Dimensions of Written Surface: 5.8 (h) x 11.9 (w) cm
  • -  The text is written in small black shikastah-nasta'liq script on a piece of paper painted in light brown in such a manner that it looks like papyrus, bark, or bamboo. The text panel is pasted directly onto a purple sheet of paper backed by cardboard. Although the letter is neither signed nor dated, it appears to have executed in Persia (Iran) during the 17th-18th centuries.
  • -  This calligraphic fragment consists in a letter composed by a man to his friend. At the top, the letter is initiated by four bayts (verses) from a lyrical poem (ghazal) that advises men to be good and not engage in evil deeds (siyah kar). These lines are written in smaller script in diagonal and separated into four columns. The letter then proceeds horizontally. The correspondent apologizes for not having written in a long time. In the middle of his letter, he also includes verses from Firdawsi's "Shahnamah" that bear an eschatological character. They promote the fear of God and the Day of Judgment.
  • -  Script: shikastah-nasta'liq
  • -  1-84-154.52

Medium

  • 1 volume ; 12.8 (h) x 20.1 (w) cm

Repository

  • Library of Congress African and Middle Eastern Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2019714601

Online Format

  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The contents of the Library of Congress Selections of Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions and are free to use and reuse.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, African and Middle East Division, Near East Section Persian Manuscript Collection

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

A Friend's Letter. 17th-18th Centuries. Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714601/.

APA citation style:

A Friend's Letter. 17th-18th Centuries. [Manuscript/Mixed Material] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714601/.

MLA citation style:

A Friend's Letter. 17th-18th Centuries. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2019714601/>.