A fine Qajar Qur'an, Iran, attributed to Aqa Muhsin Isfahani, 18th century, Arabic manuscript on paper, 195ff., with 19ll. of fine black fully vocalised Yaquti-style script per page, with gold rosette verse markers, marginal decorations in gold and polychrome, verse headers in thuluth script with gold and polychrome decoration, with double page illuminated frontispiece containing the text of the opening to the Chapter al-Fatihah and the beginning of the Surah al Baqarah, the colophon contains a concluding prayer and the ownership seal of Mu'tamid al-Dawla dated 1283AH/1866AD, a further ownership notation is dated 1313AH/1895AD, the ownership inscription in black cursive at the beginning of the manuscript is in Farhad Mirza’s hand and indicates that it entered his collection in AH 1290/1873-74 AD, the inscription on final page of the qur’anic text dated AH 1313/1895-96 AD is in the hand of the calligrapher Zayn al-‘Abidin al-Mahallati (active 1870s-80s) who attributes this copy of this Qur’an to the calligrapher Aqa Muhsin Isfahani, original lacquered papier mache binding very finely decorated in gold and polychrome, 14.5 x 9cm. Provenance: Private UK collection since the 1960s Another very similarly decorated Qur'an by Ibn Muhammad ‘Ali, Zayn al-‘Abidin al-Mahallati is in the Khalili Collection, London. Farhad Mirza Mo'tamad al-Dawla (b. 1233AH/1818AD in Tabriz, Iran died 1305AH/1888AD, Tehran), was a Qajar prince-governor, author, and bibliophile. He was the fifteenth son of ?Abbas Mirza, younger brother of Mo?ammad Shah, uncle of Na?er-al-Din Shah, and a learned and influential Qajar prince known for his firm governorship over several provinces of Persia. Farhad Mirza’s love of collecting Persian and Arabic manuscripts was well known and comparable to that of his brother, Bahman Mirza. Over the years, he built one of the finest personal libraries in Persia, but his collection was gradually scattered after his death.The third oldest Persian manuscript known, a copy of A?awayn? Bo??r?’s Hed?yat al-mota?allem?n fi’l-?ebb, dated 487/1085-86, belonged to his manuscript collection before it was given to the Bodleian Library, Oxford. Please refer to department for condition report