English: TRAVELOGUE OF A JOURNEY IN FARS

SIGNED 'ALI AKBAR, TEHRAN, QAJAR IRAN, DATED SHA'BAN AH 1254/OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 1838 AD

Persian manuscript on cream paper, 85ff. plus six fly-leaves, folios with lines of black nasta'liq, important words and phrases picked out in red, with 32 grisaille drawings, mostly fold-outs, of the sites of Persepolis, opening fly-leaves with copious later owners' notes, in worn blue cloth covered binding with flap, marbled paper doublures Folio 14 x 8 ½in. (35.6 x 21.2cm.)

This travelogue was written by an unnamed French woman, with the assistance of a scribe, who made a journey from Tehran to Shiraz and back, touring the cities on the way and the sites in the Fars province, particularly the ancient sites of Persepolis, Bishapur and Pasargadae. The author explains how she gained service as a French teacher in the Harem of ‘Abbas Mirza in Tabriz and later came to Tehran as part of the royal entourage under Sultan Muhammad Shah.

Her journey begins in AH 1251/1835-86 AD, and she gives a detailed account of the voyage, the people encountered, and the numerous adventures that befell her. The route to Shiraz took her through Qum, Kashan, Qahrud, Isfahan and Persepolis. The architecture, history and people of which places she describes in detail. She comments also occasionally on political affairs and local customs of the cities she visited. Particularly amusing are the stories concerning the activities of the painters Ahmad (naqqash) whose services she employed, and Haji ‘Abbas whom she stayed with while in Shiraz.

During her journeys, she drew the ancient monuments they encountered; the drawings in this volume of the reliefs at Persepolis and Bishapur are presumably based on her drawings and the ones made by the artist Ahmad. The manuscript was completed in Tehran in Sha’ban AH 1254/October-November 1838 AD. Pleas see lot 107 in this catalogue for a work in the style of Ahmad.