OUT OF CATALOGUE * Nur al-Din 'Abd al-Rahman Jami (d. 1492) "The Book of Joseph and Zulaikha dated 1218 A.H. (=1804) Charming little manuscript on paper, in Persian, 149 leaves, calligraphed in nasta'liq script in black ink on 14 lines per page, opening with an illuminated polychrome unwan (frontispiece) with floral and geometric motifs, the entire text in gold clouds, the chapter headings in red ink on an illuminated background in cartouches. The manuscript includes two gouache illustrations: one depicts Zulaikha and her courtesans observing Joseph dispensing justice; the second depicts Joseph on horseback meeting Zulaikha in the guise of an old hag, just before miraculously restoring her youth and beauty. Colophon signed and dated, with three bookplates. Beautiful lacquered papier-mâché binding, with red-bottomed outer boards decorated with gul-o-bulbul, flowers in various stages of growth, while the inner boards depict Zulaikha's majlis (dazzlement) on one side, and Joseph's distribution of grain during the seven-year famine on the other. 11 x 7.3 cm Provenance : Public sale, May 3, 2019, n°197, Chiswick auction. Former European collection. This lot is sold as a temporary import. Nûr ad-Dîn 'Abd ar-Rahmân Jâmî, was a famous Persian Sunni poet known for his achievements as a prolific scholar and writer of Sufi mystical literature. His most famous poetic works are Tuhfat al-Ahrar, Layla wa Majnun, Fatihat al-Shabab, Lawa'ih, Al-Durrah al-Fakhirah. Jami belonged to the Naqshbandi Sufi order. Abd al-rahman Jami (d. 1492), he book of Joseph and Zulaikha, Persian manuscript, signed Muhammd ibn Muhammad Rahim al-Shirazi, and dated 1218AH / 1804AD. Sumptuously illuminated in burnished gold and polychromes with floral and geometric designs, the entirety of the text within gold clouds, chapter headings in red ink against burnished gold in illuminated cartouches, three library stamps. With two miniatures and a lovely lacquered binding depicting various stages in the life of the prophet Joseph."