A compilation manuscript including excerpts from the Jawami ul-Hikayat and the Aja'ib ul-Makhluqat,

£45,000 · Offered by Shapero Rare Books

signed indian binding A charming and wonderfully untouched example of Indian craftsmanship, housed in a contemporary stamped Indian binding and presented here in an excellent state of preservation. The text is a commentary drawing from two major literary works compiled in the 13th century: the Jawami ul-Hikayat which is a famous collection of Persian mythical and historical anecdotes compiled by Aufi, and the Aja'ib ul-Makhluqat (Wonders of Creatures and Marvels of Creation) by Qazvini. The text begins with descriptions of physical features of the world and then moves on to describe animals, these accompanied by extensive illustrations throughout the manuscript. Rather unusually, silver is used quite frequently in the drawings (particularly in the sections relating to fish and sea creatures) and this hasn't oxidised the way that colour usually does from manuscripts from this period: this may be a testament to the quality of the silvery used at the time of production. The first and final endleaves are annotated in English and Farsi with the name Alfred Hutton. He was a soldier serving with the British Cavalry in the 1860's and there is a strong possibility that it was at his bequest that the manuscript was interfoliated with blanks in the 19th century. His contemporary annotations can be seen adorning the text of the first few gatherings, indicating that he used this manuscript as a tool to help him learn the language during his time in India. The binding is an excellent examp

• Binding: Hardcover

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