Description:

A BOOK ON THE METHODOLOGY OF HOW TO PLAY CHESS, 19TH CENTURY, PERSIA

Description:
A beautifully illuminated and rare Persian manuscript detailing the methodology, rules, and strategic theories behind the game of chess, produced in the 19th century. This volume features stunning miniatures that vividly illustrate royal courtly scenes of gameplay, with courtiers and attendants engaged around a chessboard, providing valuable cultural context to the historical role of chess in elite Persian society.

Executed in elegant Persian nastaʿlīq script in black ink with rubrication in red, the manuscript presents both practical guidance and philosophical musings on the nature of strategy, foresight, and intellect. The frontispiece and several internal illustrations are exquisitely painted with fine detailing, architectural elements, and ornamental rugs, creating an immersive visual setting.

Chess was a symbol of wisdom, statecraft, and military acumen in Persian and wider Islamic traditions, and manuscripts like this served both educational and entertainment purposes. The manuscript reflects a rich interplay of literary sophistication and courtly leisure culture.

Dimensions:
Length: 32 cm
Width: 18 cm

Comparable Examples:

  • A Persian chess treatise from the late 18th century, housed in the Topkapi Palace Library, Istanbul, displays similar stylistic and illustrative features.

  • A Mughal manuscript on chess strategy with figural miniatures sold at Bonhams, London, in 2019 for £42,500, highlighting the growing collector interest in game manuscripts from the Islamic world.

  • An earlier 17th-century chess manuscript from Shiraz, containing diagrams and problem solutions, was auctioned by Sotheby’s in 2012 for £36,000.

Note:
This manuscript stands out not only for its artistic quality and cultural resonance but also for its rarity. Illustrated chess manuals from the Islamic world are scarce, especially in such well-preserved condition and with vibrant courtly illustrations. An exceptional acquisition for collectors of Islamic manuscripts, history of games, or Persian miniature painting.

 

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May 6, 2025 1:00 PM BST
London, United Kingdom

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