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Manuscript/Mixed Material Illuminated sarloh (frontispiece)

About this Item

Title

  • Illuminated sarloh (frontispiece)

Created / Published

  • 18th century

Headings

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

Notes

  • -  Illuminated Sarloh (frontispiece) intended for a Persian epic work like Nizami's "Khamsah" (Quintet) or Firdawsi's "Shahnamah" (Book of Kings), 18th century.
  • -  The illumination -- with its combination of reds and blues, as well as the lighter blue and pink tones -- appears in Persian manuscripts of the 18th century. Unlike earlier illuminated patterns, which are dominated by dark blues and blacks (see 1-85-154.87), the palette of this piece is lighter and reveals some of the color innovations in illuminated frontispieces after the waning of the Timurid mode.
  • -  The illumination found here is called a sarlawh or sarloh, which literally signifies a tablet or panel at the top of a page. In fact, the decorative panel at the upper part of the right side of the folio is heavily ornamented with interlacing finials and geometric scrollwork, whose base hues alternate between blue, gold, and red. Immediately below the sarloh appears a gold rectangular cartouche left blank but originally included to contain the work's title. All around the margins of the folios appear vines of leaves and flowers, whose light pink and blue tones give the composition a shimmering quality.
  • -  This illuminated double-page frontispiece formed the opening to a text that was never transcribed. It probably was intended to accompany a Persian poetical epic such as Nizami's "Khamsah" (Quintet) or Firdawsi's "Shahnamah" (Book of Kings). It is also possible that it could have framed the introductory pages of a historical text or exegetical treatise. The layout does not suit the composition of the beginning of a Qur'an, which typically includes a central medallion used for the first chapter entitled al-Fatihah (The Opening), as seen in another fragment of an illuminated frontispiece in the Library of Congress (see 1-85-154.87).
  • -  1-85-154.62

Medium

  • 1 volume ; 50.9 (w) x 66.2 (h) cm

Repository

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

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2019714607

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:

Illuminated Sarloh Frontispiece. 18th Century. Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714607/.

APA citation style:

Illuminated Sarloh Frontispiece. 18th Century. [Manuscript/Mixed Material] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714607/.

MLA citation style:

Illuminated Sarloh Frontispiece. 18th Century. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2019714607/>.