Nizāʻ-i tavāngar darvīsh, [1268, i.e.1851].

Fine copy of a work of advice literature of uncertain authorship.Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center, Isl. Ms. 345Origin: As appears in colophon (fol.21a), copied (and possibly also composed) by royal scribe (kātib al-sulṭānī) Muḥammad Ḥusayn al-Ṭihrānī with transcription completed Muḥarram 1268 [October-November 1851].Former shelfmark: "391 T. De M. [i.e. Tammaro De Marinis]" inscribed in pencil on recto of front flyleaf.Binding: Boards covered in orange-red leather with gray-brown leather over spine and edges / turn-ins (turned-out doublures, framed binding, compare Isl. Ms. 302) ; Type III binding (without flap) ; doublures in same gray-brown leather ; upper and lower covers carry border and central ornament faintly stained in the leather ; sewn in spring green thread, six stations ; overall in fairly good condition with some staining, minor abrasion etc.Support: European wove paper ; highly burnished.Decoration: Some keywords rubricated, many others in blue, turquoise, etc. ; some vocalization rubricated ; textual dividers in the form of red discs ; written area surrounded by heavy frame in gold with red and blue fillets, margins bordered in much narrower bands of red and gold ; text of incipit and facing page set of by gold (now gone to dark green) cloud-bands ; in some places written area flecked with gold (now green).Script: Nastaʻlīq ; large, elegant hand ; serifless, with slight effect of words descending to baseline, closed counters, elongation and exaggerated thickness of horizontal strokes ; partially vocalized.Layout: Written in 7 lines per page ; frame-ruled.Collation: i, IV (8), III (14), III+1 (21), i ; quaternion and two ternions.Dedication: Dedicated to Nāṣir al-Dīn Shāh Qājār (see fol.20a).Colophon: "Scribal," reads "كاتب السلطانى محمد حسين الطهرانى مسوده نموده فى شهر محرم الحرام سنه ١٢۶۸"Incipit: "الحمد لله رب العالمین والصلوة والسلام على خیر خلقه محمد وآله اجمعین اما بعد حکیمی سپر انرا پند همیداد ..."Title supplied by cataloguer.Ms. codex.Fine copy of a work of advice literature of uncertain authorship.Mode of access: Internet.Acquired by purchase (funds donated by Horace Rackham).Inscription in pencil on front flyleaf "391 T. De M. [i.e. Tammaro De Marinis]" ; also on front flyleaf, inscription identifying copyist "نصايح نامه خط ميرزا حسين طهرانى" ; fairly clean copy