Description:

 LEZAT O NESA – The Book of Ladies’ Enjoyment, OTTOMAN, 18TH CENTURY

Description:
A rare and richly illustrated Ottoman erotic manuscript, titled Lezat o Nesa ("The Book of Ladies’ Enjoyment"), dating to the 18th century, painted on paper and featuring a series of exquisitely hand-painted erotic scenes. These works of art are executed in vibrant gouache, with bold, detailed compositions set within intimate interiors and garden scenes. Each miniature is framed by text rendered in elegant Ottoman Turkish script, offering poetic and instructional commentary on the themes of love, pleasure, and sensuality.

Ottoman erotic manuscripts such as this were not purely graphic; they were created for elite audiences, often within courtly or literati circles, as a form of sophisticated entertainment and philosophical musing on human desire. The manuscript functions as both a visual and literary exploration of intimacy, inspired by earlier Islamic traditions of erotic literature like The Perfumed Garden or Tuhfat al-‘Arus.

Dimensions:
Length: 21 cm
Width: 16 cm

Condition & Features:

  • Numerous full-page erotic miniatures (see linked image archive)

  • Bright original pigments with gold detailing

  • Ottoman cursive calligraphy in black and red ink

  • Fine margins and spacing indicative of high-quality manuscript preparation

  • Minimal wear; binding appears intact and structurally sound

Comparable Works:

  • A similar Ottoman erotic manuscript, Tuhfat al-Arous, sold at Bonhams, 2022, for £87,500, and was noted for its artistic and cultural significance.

  • Erotic miniatures from the Topkapi Palace Library exhibit stylistic parallels in terms of color usage and compositional balance.

  • A rare Persian manuscript, Kama Sutra-i Islami, held at the British Library, shows similar thematic treatment in a different regional style.

Note:
Erotic manuscripts from the Ottoman world represent a unique intersection of Islamic manuscript art, courtly leisure, and medical-philosophical traditions. This manuscript is a rare survivor of an artistic tradition once reserved for an exclusive elite, and its presence today offers rare insight into the cultural expressions of pleasure and intimacy in early modern Islamic societies.

 

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

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