Bookbinding15th century

Not on view

Bookbinding in burgundy leather laid open flat, with three panels decorated in gold arabesque patterns, cobalt blue lobed cartouches, and central medallions; pointed fore-edge flap at right

Opened book binding of dark lacquered leather with an envelope flap, decorated with gold-ruled borders and tooled all-over floral pattern; gold cartouches bearing Persian script at top and bottom of each panel.

Bookbinding with front cover, back cover, and flap laid flat; black lacquered leather with embossed overall ground pattern, gold-ruled borders forming nested rectangular frames, and gold cartouches bearing Arabic or Persian script at upper and lower edges of each panel.

Lacquered book binding laid flat, showing front cover, spine, and back cover. Deep red ground decorated with central medallions featuring intricate blue and gold arabesque patterns, surrounded by wide borders of geometric and floral interlace in blue, gold, and green. Pointed envelope flap visible at left.

Title: Bookbinding
Place Made: Iran
Date Made: 15th century
Medium: Leather, blind and gold tooled, and cut and painted
Dimensions: 9 1/4 x 17 1/8 in. (23.49 x 43.49 cm)
Credit Line: The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number: M.2002.1.28
Classification: Manuscripts
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: The Persian arts of the book reached spectacular heights in the fifteenth century. Libraries sponsored by princely and elite bibliophiles of the period served not only as repositories of fine books but also as studios where every aspect of manuscript production took place, including the manufacture of bindings. A paragon of the bookbinder’s art, this example (now detached from its manuscript) features painstakingly crafted, brightly colored interior designs made from cut bits of painted leather and tinted paper. The inscription on the exterior of the binding reads: "There would be a reminiscence of Paradise/ For the insightful man, who enjoyed this delightful garden [the book]/ This replica [book] which has gotten its magnificent elaboration from the efforts of the artists/ Was attainable by the effort of the time’s Asif/ May health and prosperity be granted to its possessor."
Selected Bibliography: "A Selection of 2002 Museum Acquisitions." Apollo 156, no. 490 (December 2002): 15-46.
Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.
Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.

Related Unframed

Bookbinding15th century

Not on view

Title: Bookbinding
Place Made: Iran
Date Made: 15th century
Medium: Leather, blind and gold tooled, and cut and painted
Dimensions: 9 1/4 x 17 1/8 in. (23.49 x 43.49 cm)
Credit Line: The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number: M.2002.1.28
Classification: Manuscripts
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: The Persian arts of the book reached spectacular heights in the fifteenth century. Libraries sponsored by princely and elite bibliophiles of the period served not only as repositories of fine books but also as studios where every aspect of manuscript production took place, including the manufacture of bindings. A paragon of the bookbinder’s art, this example (now detached from its manuscript) features painstakingly crafted, brightly colored interior designs made from cut bits of painted leather and tinted paper. The inscription on the exterior of the binding reads: "There would be a reminiscence of Paradise/ For the insightful man, who enjoyed this delightful garden [the book]/ This replica [book] which has gotten its magnificent elaboration from the efforts of the artists/ Was attainable by the effort of the time’s Asif/ May health and prosperity be granted to its possessor."
Selected Bibliography: "A Selection of 2002 Museum Acquisitions." Apollo 156, no. 490 (December 2002): 15-46.
Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.
Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.