next sale of Indian and Islamic Art on January 19th 2011 in New
Bond Street, features a 19th century recipe manuscript that
offers a fascinating insight into the preparation of various
dishes in Qajar Persia, more than a century ago. Commissioned by
Muhammad Quli Khan-e Qajar Quyunlu, Majd al-Sultaneh (d. 1905),
this Persian manuscript is a slim volume of 37 folios, written
in a wonderfully elegant nasta'liq script in black ink, with the
names of recipes written in larger script. It is estimated to
sell at a very modest £400-600. Alice Bailey, Head of the Indian
and Islamic Department at Bonhams, comments: For anyone who is
interested in the food of other cultures, this collection of
Persian recipes compiled in the 19th century from Iranian as
well as European sources, offers a wonderful window into a
culture famed for its culinary sophistication. Every aspect of
Persian arts and crafts is imbued with complex subtleties, and
the art of food preparation was no stranger to this cultural
discipline. Much has bee