Sadi (1210-1292 CE)
Gulistan [and:] Bustan
Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photographs
Auction: 21 September 2023 at 10:00 BST
Description
سعدي شيرازي - گلستان وبستان
Persia, possibly 18th century. Persian manuscript in black ink on polished wove paper, 136 ff. (15.7 x 9.5cm), Gulistan at ff. 1-45a and Bustan ff. 45b-136a, text in twin columns within gilt frames, 16 lines to the page, rubricated headings, illuminated headpiece to each work, contemporary red goatskin binding, covers with filigree decoration and hand-painted borders and embellishments, blue paper doublures. Variable soiling and damp-staining, first page of Gulistan (with headpiece) and second page of Bustan heavily smudged, binding rebacked, endpapers renewed and leaves discreetly strengthened in gutter throughout, additional marginal repairs to final leaf, annotations to terminal blank including date 1272 (i.e. 1855-6)
Footnote
Note: Sadi, a Persian poet of the 13th century, is 'widely recognised as one of the greatest masters of the classical literary tradition' (Encyclopaedia Iranica); Gulistan and Bustan are his two best-known works.
Provenance: From the library of Anthony and Clarissa Eden, though not marked as such. Anthony Eden studied Persian and Arabic at the University of Oxford, graduating with first-class honours in 1922.