خمسۀ امیرخسرو دهلوی

Walters Ms. W.624, Five poems (quintet)

Walters Ms. W.624, Five poems (quintet)

Khamsah-i Dihlavī

خمسه دهلوى

Amīr Khusraw Dihlavī, ca. 1253-1325 (author)

Amīr Khusraw Dihlavī (author)

امير خسرو دهلوى (author)

Manṣūr Naqqāsh (artist)

Khvājah Jān Shīrāzī (artist)

Luṭf Allāh muẕahhib (artist)

Ḥusayn Naqqāsh (artist)

Laʿl (Lāl) (artist)

Manūhar (artist)

Sānwalah (artist)

Farrukh (artist)

ʿAlīqulī (artist)

Dharamdās (artist)

Narsing (artist)

Jagannāth (artist)

Miskīnā (artist)

Mukund (artist)

Sūrdās Gujarātī (artist)

Muḥammad Ḥusayn al-Kashmīrī (scribe)

This is a deluxe copy of the Khamsah (quintet) of Amīr Khusraw Dihlavī (d. 725 AH / 1325 CE). The manuscript was written in nastaʿlīq script by one of the greatest calligraphers of the Mughal atelier, Muḥammad Ḥusayn al-Kashmīrī, honored with the epithet Zarrīn Qalam (golden pen). This copy of Dihlavī's Khamsah, likely produced in Lahore (present-day Pakistan) in the late tenth century AH / sixteenth CE, is associated with the patronage of Akbar (r. 963-1014 AH / 1556-1605 CE). The manuscript bears the names of a number of painters and illuminators. The illustrations bear ascriptions to the following artists: Laʿl (Lāl), Manūhar, Sānwalah, Farrukh, Alīqulī, Dharamdās, Narsing, Jagannāth, Miskīnā, Mukund, and Sūrdās Gujarātī. The illuminators are Ḥusayn Naqqāsh, Manṣūr Naqqāsh, Khvājah Jān Shīrāzī, and Luṭf Allāh Muẕahhib. The borders are all elaborately illuminated with animal, bird, and geometric motifs, as well as human figures engaged in such activities as hunting, praying, and reading. The lacquer binding, decorated with pictorial scenes, is contemporary with the manuscript. Eight leaves from this copy of the Khamsah of Dihlavī are housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (13.228.26-33). For full description, see http://www.thedigitalwalters.org/Data/WaltersManuscripts/html/W624/description.html

The primary language in this manuscript is Persian.

Twenty-one illustrations (some inscribed): fols. 24b, 35a (ʿamal-i Laʿl), 40a, 51a (ʿamal-i Manūhar), 58a (ʿamal-i Sānwalah), 59a (ʿamal-i Sānwalah), 66b, 80a (ʿamal-i Farrukh), 94b (ʿamal-i ʿAlīqulī), 98a (ʿamal-i Dharamdās), 100b (ʿamal-i Laʿl), 113a, 115a (ʿamal-i Narsing), 128a (Jagannāth), 135a, 139a, 153b, 182b (Miskīnā and Farrukh), 188a, 203b (ʿamal-i Mukund), and 208b (ʿamal-i Sūrdās Gujarātī); two frontispieces (fols. 1a and 42a); two finispieces (fols. 173b and 211b); fol. 42a signed: ʿamal-i Ḥusayn Naqqāsh; four signed headpieces introducing various poems: fols. 1b (dhahhabahu Manṣūr Naqqāsh), 42b (Khvājah Jān Shīrāzī), 90b (ʿamal-i Luṭf Allāh muẕahhib), and 174b (Ḥusayn); borders illuminated with a wide variety of motifs. “Ten of the original thirty-one illustrations have been separated from the Walters Khamsa. Eight of these paintings made their way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the early twentieth century…” (Seyller, 41).

fol. 1a Illuminated frontispiece with shamsah Frontispiece This illuminated frontispiece has a central twelve-pointed star (shamsah). The page is further decorated with floral motifs executed in gold. There are five seals.

fol. 1b Incipit page with illuminated headpiece Incipit; headpiece This incipit page with illuminated headpiece introduces the first poem of the Khamsah, Maṭlaʿ al-anvār. The illumination was done by Manṣūr Naqqāsh ('dhahhabahu Manṣūr). His name is inscribed in the two small illuminated rectangles flanking the rubric.

fol. 24b Fratricide witnesses the loyalty of two friends Illustration This illustration depicts the tenth maqāla (discourse). Two men who are about to be executed are found in the lower foreground. Several men plea to the king for clemency.

fol. 35a An old Sufi laments his lost youth Illustration This garden scene relates the seventeenth maqāla (discourse). An elderly sufi makes a romantic gesture toward a young handsome man in an orange jama. This illustration is the work of ʿamal-i Laʿl (Lāl).

fol. 40a A virtuous woman placates the king by plucking out her eyes Illustration This illustration depicts the twentieth maqāla (discourse), which emphasizes female virtue. The king relentlessly pursues the female protagonist, claiming that he cannot resist her beautiful eyes. To escape his amorous advances, the woman plucks out her eyes and sends them to him. She thus chooses virtue over all else, even her ability to see.

fol. 42a Illuminated frontispiece Frontispiece This is the illuminated frontispiece to the second poem of the Khamsah, Shīrīn va Khusraw. It is signed ʿamal-i Ḥusayn Naqqāsh.

fol. 42b Incipit page with illuminated headpiece Incipit; headpiece This incipit page with illuminated headpiece introduces the second poem of the Khamsah, Shīrīn va Khusraw. It is signed by Khvājah Jān Shīrāzī in the small cartouches flanking the white border that defines the large illuminated rectangle. The decorated border features a figure of a man in a posture of supplication.

fol. 51a Shīrīn entertains Khusraw Illustration This pavilion scene depicts the Armenian princess Shīrīn welcoming Khusraw in Armenia. The illustration is the work of (ʿamal-i) Manūhar.

fol. 58a Khusraw and Shīrīn preside over the wedding of youths Illustration The union of ten couples had been arranged by Khusraw, who sits with Shīrīn in celebration. In the spirit of the happy ceremony, Khusraw asks Shīrīn to marry him. Although in love with him, the Armenian princess declines. The inscription in red in the border reads ʿamal-i (the work of) Sānwalah.

fol. 59a Shīrīn encounters the sculptor Farhād Illustration On horseback, Shīrīn approaches the sculptor Farhād. The milk flowing through the channel recalls Shīrīn's request that Farhād cut a path through the mountain to bring milk from his flocks to her pavilion. Below the image, the border is inscribed ʿamal-i (work of) Sānwalah.

fol. 66b Farhād hears the false news of Shīrīn’s death Illustration Farhād is shown in great sorrow as he is told that Shīrīn has died. It is Khusraw, in disguise, who relates this untruth.

fol. 80a Shīrīn receives a ring from Khusraw Illustration Both Shīrīn and Khusraw celebrate their upcoming nuptials in their respective pavilions. Below the image and written in red is ʿamal-i (the work of) Farrukh (Chela).

fol. 90b Incipit page with illuminated headpiece Incipit; headpiece This incipit page with illuminated headpiece introduces the third poem of the Khamsah, Majnūn va Laylá. It is signed ʿamal-i Luṭf Allāh muẕahhib.

fol. 94b King Solomon and two demons Illustration This illustration depicts the story of two divs (demons) who, out of boredom, wreak havoc on the world. Recognizing the dangers of idleness, the wise King Solomon consigns them to a life of futile activity: filling the sea with sand and the desert with water. The inscription naming the artist ‘Ali Quli is composed in red ink at the bottom of the page.

fol. 98a Laylá and Majnūn fall in love at school Illustration Laylá and Majnūn, the ill-fated lovers, are depicted at school as youths. ʿAmal-i Dharamdās is inscribed in the border.

fol. 100b Majūn is visited in the wilderness by his father Illustration Majūn, emaciated and living with the beasts of the wilderness, is visited by his father. Inscribed in red ink below the image is ʿamal-i (work of) Laʿl.

fol. 113a Majnūn befriends a dog Illustration Majnun is shown holding a stray dog found near Laylá's home.

fol. 115a Laylá visits Majnūn in the wilderness Illustration The ill-fated lovers Majnūn and Laylá meet in the wilderness surrounded by the beasts befriended by Majnun. ʿAmal-i (work of) Narsing is inscribed in red below the image.

fol. 128a Alexander the Great lassos an opponent Illustration This illustration depicts one of the many battles fought by Alexander the Great, who is celebrated in the Islamic tradition as one of the great historic rulers. The painting is inscribed Jagannāth in red ink.

fol. 135a Alexander the Great discovers Kanīfū’s identity Illustration When the brave captive Chinese warrior Kanīfū is stripped of armor, Alexander the Great and his retinue are amazed to discover that the warrior is a woman.

fol. 139a The Khāqān of China pays homage to Alexander the Great Illustration The Khāqān of China prostrates himself before Alexander the Great. The gifts offered to the latter are seen in the foreground.

fol. 153b Alexander the Great drowns the Greeks Illustration The Greeks are punished for not accepting the faith and rule of Alexander the Great.

fol. 173b Illuminated finispiece Finispiece This illuminated finispiece in the form of a circular medallion marks the end of the fourth poem of the Khamsah, Āʾīnah-i Sikandarī.

fol. 174b Incipit page with illuminated headpiece Incipit; headpiece This incipit page with illuminated headpiece introduces the fifth poem of the Khamsah, Hasht bihisht. It is signed by Ḥusayn (Naqqāsh).

fol. 182b The princesses of the seven pavilions bow in homage to Bahrām Gūr Illustration The princesses of the seven pavilions bow before Bahram Gur. Each of them will lead Bahram on a journey from a pleasure-seeking prince to a wise and just king. This illustration is the work of Miskīnā and Farrukh.

fol. 188a The story of the goldsmith's foolish wife as told by the princess of the yellow pavilion Illustration This illustration depicts the story told to Bahram Gūr by the princess of the yellow pavilion. It is a tale of a woman who foolishly implicates her husband, a goldsmith, in a crime against the king. He is thus imprisoned in a high tower. He decides to trick his dim-witted wife so that she will exchange places with him. The image shows how the goldsmith lowers himself down and his wife up to the tower.

fol. 203b The story of the man falsely accused of incest as told by the princess of the sandalwood pavilion Illustration This illustration depicts the story told to Bahram Gūr by the princess of the sandalwood pavilion. The young prince who was wrongfully accused of incest follows the advice of three friends to exonerate himself. He is shown meditating upon a statue, as instructed. At the bottom of the page is inscribed ʿamal-i (the work of) Mukund.

fol. 208b The story of the talisman that detects insincerity as told by the princess of the white pavilion Illustration This illustration depicts the story told to Bahram Gūr by the princess of the white pavilion. It is a tale of a king on a quest for a sincere woman to marry. He is given a talisman to help him in his search. The talisman laughs whenever a woman is insincere. In this image, the gold statue laughs as a woman pretends to faint. Below the image is inscribed ʿamal-i (work of) Sūrdās Gujarātī.

fol. 211b Illuminated finispiece Finispiece This illuminated finispiece in the form of a circular medallion marks the end of the fifth poem of the Khamsah, Hasht bihisht.

The date reads 142 (!). It has been interpreted as the 42nd year of Emperor Akbar's reign, i.e. March 1597 -- March 1598 CE.

Oval seal: Muḥammad Zakī, 1241 AH / 1825-6 CE (fols. 1a, 211a)

Oval seal: Muḥammad Zakī, 1241 AH / 1825-6 CE (fols. 1a, 211a)

Rectangular seal: ʿabd al-rājī Muḥammad Shafīʿ, 1247 AH / 1831-2 CE (fols. 1a, 211a)

Large oval seal: Muhammad ʿAlī, no date (fol. 211a)

Walters Art Museum, 1931, by Henry Walters bequest

Persian

paper

image/jpeg

1597

All Walters manuscript images and descriptions provided here are copyrighted © The Walters Art Museum.