segmentation photos on Flickr

SACRARAMENTARY LEAF Ref 466 verso by RMGYMss.

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This is a Sacramentary leaf with Insular style decoration that was probably made in Northern Germany (the Rhineland) in the first half of the tenth century.

The text consists of prayers and Benedictions and ending with a Lection followed by a Benediction. The Texts are: -

A prayer at the fireplace “Omnipotens sempiterne deus cuius sapientia”;

A prayer entering the hall “Via secundum omnium Iesu Christi”;

A blessing of the fruit “Te deprecamur, omnipotens deus”;

A blessing of the trees “Deus qui huius arboris poma”;

Another blessing (could be a blessing of the salt) “ Sancte Domine creator omnium creaturarum”;

Another blessing (could be another blessing of the salt) “ Domine sancte pater omnipotems aeterne deus”;

A blessing of the soap “Summe deus qui ima et media summaque”;

First Lection of Feria IIII in the month of December, a Lection from the Prophet Isaiah “In diebus illis. Loqui est Ahaz dicens”; and

A blessing of the candles at the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary “Domine Deus omnipoieus qui hodierna die legalia sacrificia”.

There are 33 lines on the recto but only 29 on the verso (one line unwritten before the Lection and three lines unwritten at the bottom of the page) in a superb Carolingian minuscule in brown and with rubric in red rustic capitals.

The leaf is not illuminated but it is decorated.

There are nine large initials and whilst generally set against one line they are large enough to be classified as two-line initials. On the recto, the initials are: -

An “O” composed of outer and inner rings and segmentation all in dark brown with most of the segments in-filled in ochre.

A “V” in red, the left arm crenelated and the right arm partly in-filled in ochre.

A “T” outlined in dark brown and in-filled in orange.

A “D” outlined in red, the left side in-filled in ochre, a red line through the top and the remainder of the abbreviated word within the body of the initial.

An “S” outlined in dark brown in-filled at the terminals in the same colour and in the centre in orange.

On the verso the initials are: -

A “D” outlined and segmented in dark brown, the upper terminal crenelated and tipped with red, the centre segment of the bowl in-filled with ochre.

Three initials, “S”, “I”, and “D” in red.

ALL THE INITIALS ON THE RECTO AND THE TOP INITIAL “D” ON THE VERSO DISPLAY DISTINCT INSULAR INFLUENCES.

The overall size of the leaf is 300mm x 225mm (11 8/10ins. x 8 17/20ins.).

OVERALL CONDITION: -

The leaf has been used to cover a book. Because of this, the recto is clean and bright and most of the verso is quite dirty. There are two quite severe creases, one in the bottom margin and one towards the outside of the leaf about 1ins. into the text. There are some small holes within these creases and some letters are lost because of the vertical crease. There are some losses of vellum to the inside and outside margins as well as there being a large piece missing at the bottom outside corner.

GENERAL COMMENTS: -

Despite its condition, the problems of which are not too severe, this is a wonderful leaf to have in any collection. The script is quite superb and the Insular elements to the initials are very seldom found on manuscripts that are offered for sale. The nature of the prayers and blessings would indicate that the leaf is from a monastic manuscript. In reference material that is available to me, I have found only two items with initials in a similar style as here. One is a bifolium (Lot 8, Sotheby's June 1997) from St. Amand (on the border of Flanders and Artois) and dated to early ninth century which I think is too early for this leaf. The other is a Sacramentary leaf (Item 26, Bernard Quaritch, Catalogue 1147, 1991) from Belgium or the Rhineland and dated to mid-tenth century. Not only does this date seem more realistic than early ninth century but the formation of the letter”g” is the same on both my leaf and the Quaritch leaf. It is because of this that I have given this leaf the heading that I have.

the silk road by Retlaw Snellac Photography

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Shakhrisabz is Timur's hometown, and once upon a time it probably put Samarkand itself in the shade.

Ak Saray, Shakhrisabz

Shahrisabz is, above all, associated with the Ak-Saray palace. Many amazing legends are linked with the history of the palace's construction. According to one of them, Timur began to think of building a magnificent edifice, summoned an architect and set out his objective. After listening to the ruler, the architect asked to be allowed into the state exchequer. When permission was granted, the craftsman started to make foundation blocks from clay mixed with gold in full view of Timur. Seeing that the ruler remained impassive, he broke up the blocks and returned the gold to the exchequer. When Timur asked: "Why did you do that?" the architect replied: "So as to make sure of your determination to embark on constructing a building that requires vast expenditure." A second legend recounts that, after the main building work had been completed, Timur began to tell the craftsmen to hurry up and finish the decorative facing of the palace. But they were in no hurry to cover the building with majolica and mosaic. When the angry ruler ordered the chief architect to be brought before him, it emerged that had vanished after hanging a chain in the centre of the palace's main arch. Since no other craftsman of equal stature could be found, the building remained unfinished. Some time later, however, the architect suddenly appeared and, after making sure that the chain on the entrance arch was now considerably lower, embarked on decorating the building. When Timur demanded an explanation of his strange flight and sudden reappearance, the architect replied: "I dared not disobey my sovereign's command, but I could not carry it out either. Stern punishment awaited me in either case, since such a majestic building had to settle and bed down firmly in the ground, otherwise all the decoration on it would be destroyed." The great ruler appreciated the craftsman's wisdom and resourcefulness.

The palace building in Shahrisabz took over a quarter of a century to construct. The Spanish ambassador, Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo, who passed through Shahrisabz in 1404 on his way to the court of Timur in Samarkand, was astounded and charmed by the architectural miracle, and he left a detailed description of it, noting, however, that the splendid artistic decoration of the palace was still unfinished. The overall layout, scale and artistic appearance of Ak-Saray can be reconstituted from the descriptions of contemporaries and eyewitnesses, as well as from the results of archaeological excavation at the site. According to written accounts, the palace consisted of several

stately, living or service quarters, grouped around separate courtyards.The overall scale of the palace is impressive: the main courtyard alone, which has been reconstituted from the microrelief, was 120 - 125 m wide and 240 - 250 m long. The size of the other courtyards and of the outer perimeter of the palace has not been reconstructed owing to severe disturbance of the microrelief in the 15th - 16th centuries. Calculation of the proportions of the surviving elements of the site makes it fairly certain that the height of the main portal reached 70 m. It was topped by arched pinnacles (ko'ngra), while corner towers on a multifaceted pedestal were at least 80 m high. The main entrance portal was 50 m wide, and the arch had the largest span, 22.5 m, in Central Asia.

The architectural decor, featuring a wide variety of designs and colours, is particularly

noteworthy in the artistic appearance of Ak-Saray. When using various techniques,

however, the craftsmen bore in mind that the palace's main portal faced north, towards the capital, Samarkand. Given the poor light, the rchitects used only flat segmentation here and hence a continuous decorative treatment. The use of brick mosaic work, mainly dark and light blue in colour, forming large geometrical and epigraphic designs on a background of polished building brick, gives the portal a special softness of colour and an air of grand mystery.

The various mosaic and majolica work in the niche of the portal is particularly refined and highly coloured. The delicately executed foliate ornamentation incorporates exquisite calligraphic inscriptions of mainly Koranic content, although secular ones are found too. In the midst of the decorative facing, an inscription has survived, giving the date of completion, 798 (1395 - 1396), and the name of the craftsman, Muhammad Yusuf Tebrizi (from the Azeri city of Tabriz). According to Clavijo, who visited Ak-Saray, "in this palace was a very long entrance and a very high portal, and by the

entrance, to right and left, were brick arches covered with tiles painted with various designs. Beneath these arches was what looked like small rooms without doors, and the floor inside them was covered with tiles. This was done so that people could sit there when the king was present. Beyond this was another door and after that a large courtyard, paved with white slabs and surrounded by richly decorated galleries. In the middle of the courtyard was a large pool. The courtyard was some 300 paces wide, and it gave access to a large house, in which was a very high and wide door, decorated with gold, azure and tiles of very fine workmanship. In the middle, above the door, a lion was depicted, lying in the sun, and exactly the same picture was to be found at the edges. This was the device of the king of Samarkand. After this, the envoys were taken to look at the chamber that the king had appointed for sitting and feasting with his wives, very spacious and luxurious. Before it was a large garden with many shady and

assorted fruit trees. Inside it were many pools and artfully sited meadows. By the entrance to this garden there was such a vast space that many people could have enjoyed themselves sitting there in the summertime beside the water and beneath the shade of the trees. The workmanship in the palace is so luxurious that, in order to describe everything well, one has to go and examine it a little at a time."

The Ak-Saray palace is a grandiose piece of civil architecture, and not just by Central

Asian standards. Historical tradition ascribes the destruction of the majestic edifice to

Abdullakhan, who, during one of the sieges of unsubdued Shahrisabz, is supposed to have ordered the splendid structures of Timur and his descendants to be demolished. Be that as it may, of the once luxurious royal palace only the pillars and part of the arch of the main portal remained by the second half of the 18th century.

the silk road by Retlaw Snellac Photography

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