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Synopsis
The splendours of the Mughal court in the late sixteenth century are reflected in the Emperor Akbar's Khamsa of Nizami, a manuscript superbly illustrated in sensuous colour and fine detail, with drama, pathos and wit. The complete range of the illustrations is reproduced here for the first time, together with an abridgement of the stories illustrated, and commentaries on individual pictures. The dazzling designs of non-figurative illumination are also included.
The Emperor Akbar was the third member of the Mughal dynasty to rule in northern India, his reign of 1556-1605 encompassing the period of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Akbar was a patron of manuscripts on a prodigious scale. His court studio employed the finest calligraphers to copy manuscripts, and the finest painters and illuminators to decorate them.
The Khamsa, or 'Quintet', is a five-part work in verse by the twelfth-century Persian poet Nizami; its stories are among the most famous in Persian literature. Down the centuries, numerous rulers and people of culture in the Islamic world have found it indispensable to own a beautiful copy of the Khamsa.
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About the Author
Dr. Barbara Brend lectures for the British Museum on Islamic art.
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The Emperor Akbar's Khamsa of Nizami
Seller: MusicMagpie, Stockport, United Kingdom
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Condition: Very Good. 1785919933. 8/5/2026 8:52:13 AM. Seller Inventory # U9780712303927
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The Emperor Akbar's Khamsa of Nizami
Seller: Epilonian Books, Manhattan Beach, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The British Library, Published 1995. Paperback, 72 pp.; 28 cm; illustrated with color reproductions and facsimiles of the manuscript's miniatures and illumination, with a map. In Very Good condition. Glossy illustrated paper covers with light bumping to the edges and mild shelf wear; spine uncreased. Binding tight; pages clean and unmarked, the color plates bright. Reproduces in full, for the first time, the illustrations of the British Library's Khamsa of Nizami (Or. 12208), one of the finest illustrated manuscripts made for the Mughal emperor Akbar. Copied by the royal scribe in 1595 at the height of Akbar's reign, the manuscript carries more than forty miniatures by the leading painters of the imperial atelier, blending Persian refinement with the naturalism and vigor of the Mughal school. The Khamsa, or Quintet, is the five-part verse cycle of the twelfth-century Persian poet Nizami, among the most celebrated works in Persian literature. Barbara Brend, a specialist in Islamic and Persian manuscript painting, provides an abridgement of the stories illustrated together with commentary on the individual paintings and their non-figurative illumination. From the British Library's Manuscripts in Colour series. Seller Inventory # 20260724003