King's Pote 152 (King's College Library, King's College Cambridge)

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Pote Collection

Summary of Contents: 1 copy of the Khamsa of Niẓāmī.

Author: Niẓāmī نظامی گنجوی

Title: Khamsa

Title: خمسهء نظامى

Language(s): Persian

Colophon details: Date: Undated Scribe: Muḥammad Pīr Abū al-ʿIrāqī محمد پور ابو العراقى .

References

Browne no. 453

Palmer no. 152

Catalogue of the Persian manuscripts in the British Museum (3 vols.) C. Rieu 1879-1883 pp.564 et seqq. [BL Add 7729]

Persian Literature: a bio-bibliographical survey C. A. Storey 1927–39 V.2 p.459

A catalogue of Persian manuscripts in the library of the University of Cambridge, E. Browne (1896) p.303, no. 211 [Camb. Oo. 6.11]

Physical Description

Form: codex

Extent: 28 + 71 + 53 + 60 + 74 + 42 = 328 folios.

Dimensions (leaf): 26.8 × 18 cm.

Dimensions (written): 19.2 × 12 cm.

Foliation: Each of the masnavis is foliated separately.

Layout

21 lines per page.

Ruled in green, orange, gold, light brown with a blue outer.

Hand(s)

Script: nastaʿlīq. Scribe: Muḥammad Pīr Abū al-ʿIrāqī محمد پور ابو العراقى.

Decoration

F.1r: full-page illustration with illuminated margin (possibly half of a frontispiece) - the faces of figures have been erased. In notes held in the King's Archive (attached to a letter dated 16.4.1951), Basil Robinson estimates the style "is that of about 1580". F.1v: Indian illuminated sarlauh. Ff.1v-2r: interlinear gold. Each of the masnavis (including the two parts of the Iskandar-nāmah) begins in the same way, with a sarlauh and an opening decorated with interlinear gold (except in one case).

Additions:

Flyleaf: the seal of Polier (1181).

Binding

Red and brown leather, Indian style (with weak cords). Marbled paper doublures. Decorations: Gold inlaid turanj, two pendants and corner pieces. Dimensions: 26.8 × 17.7 × 5 cm. Unboxed. Polier's number: 363.

History

Origin: Undated.

Provenance and Acquisition

The "Pote Collection" arrived in England from India in 1790 and was divided between the Colleges of Eton and King's, Cambridge, with the first half alphabetically going to King's. Both halves of the collection are now housed in Cambridge University Library on permanent loan. Most if not all of the manuscripts had previously been owned by Colonel Antoine-Louis Henri Polier (1741–1795).

Gift of Edward Ephraim Pote (d.1832) in 1788.

Record Sources

Manuscript description based on E. G. Browne, "A supplementary hand-list of the Muhammadan manuscripts, including all those written in the Arabic character, preserved in the Library of the University of Cambridge", Cambridge, 1922 and E. H. Palmer, "Catalogue of the oriental manuscripts in the library of King's College, Cambridge", J.R.A.S. v.3 (1867), pp.105-131 enhanced with additional descriptions and corrections by Shiva Mihan.

Availability

All manuscripts of the Pote Collection are on permanent loan at Cambridge University Library. Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card for admissions procedures consult Cambridge University Library. Contact near_eastern@lib.cam.ac.uk for further information on the availability of this manuscript

Funding of Cataloguing

King's College Cambridge

Subjects

Persian poetry--747-1500

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