One Hundred Sayings
(Islamic Manuscripts, Islamic World , Manuscripts and Rare Books)
Walters manuscript W.615, an illuminated copy of One hundred sayings, referred to as Mi'at kalimah in Arabic and Sad kalimah in Persian and attributed to the 4th caliph of Islam, "Ali ibn Abi Talib (died 40 AH/AD 661), contains a Persian paraphrase (dubayt) by Rashid al-Din Muhammad al-Balkhi, known as al-Vatvat (Watwat) (died ca. 578 AH/AD 1182). The manuscript was completed in Iran sometime in the 9th century AH/AD 15th. The sayings of `Ali in Arabic are written in blue Muhaqqaq and gold Thuluth scripts, and the Persian verses are written in black Naskh scripts. The codex opens with an illuminated titlepiece inscribed in white Tawqi script (fol. 1b). The dark brown goatskin binding with central lobed medallion and pendants and doublures with filigree decoration may date to the 9th or 10th century AH/AD 15th or 16th.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
1996 | To Arrest the Ravages of Time: Caring for Art at the Walters. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Iran (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Folio H: 8 1/4 x W: 5 11/16 in. (21 x 14.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
W.615