COMPLETE WORKS OF SAADI (KOLIYAT SAADI), PERSIA QAJAR, 1235 AH/1819 AD

A Persian manuscript on paper, each page featuring a central panel containing 15 lines in black Nastaliq script, surrounded by diagonally written text, bordered with gilt and blue rulings. Each chapter begins with an opening biofolio adorned with gilt and polychrome decoration. Multiple miniatures, painted in gouache, depict various scenes typical of the Qajar era. Bound in Qajar lacquer, decorated with a dense floral design. Dimensions: 17 x 26 cm.

This book contains various sections or chapters of Saadi's works:

The Gulistan: Written in prose, "The Rose Garden" is divided into eight chapters, called babs ("gates"), which correspond to the eight gates of paradise. It is a moralistic and anecdotal work, composed mainly in hikayats (short prose vignettes) interspersed with verse. These stories are light and humorous in tone, particularly compared to his earlier work, The Bustan. In the epilogue, Saadi states that his aim was to convey advice in a pleasing form.

The Bustan: This work encapsulates Saadi's extensive life experiences and reflections on human nature, illustrated by a wide array of anecdotes. It includes accounts of Saadi’s travels and analyses of human psychology, often conveyed with advice similar to Aesop's fables. The book is organized into ten chapters focused on ethics and personal development, covering themes such as justice, mercy, love, humility, contentment, devotion, education, gratitude, repentance, and prayer.

Persian Poetry

Catalogue Note Abu-Muhammad Muslih al-Din bin Abdallah Shirazi, better known by his pen name Saadi, was a major Persian poet and prose writer of the medieval period. Renowned for the quality of his writing and the depth of his social and moral insights, Saadi is celebrated as one of the greatest poets in classical Persian literature, earning the title "Master of Speech" among Persian scholars.