King's Pote 211 (King's College Library, King's College Cambridge)

Pote Collection

Summary of Contents: 1 copy of Kanz al-Tuḥaf.

Note concerning author: This manuscript and others are referred to in “Musical Instruments Described in a Fourteenth-Century Persian Treatise Kanz al-tuḥaf” in The Galpin Society Journal v.66 (2013) by Gen’ichi Tsuge where it is stated that the author is Ḥasan Kāshānī.

Title: Kanz al-Tuḥaf

Title: كنز التحف

Language(s): Persian

Colophon details: Date: Tuesday beginning (3rd?) Dhū al-Qaʿdah 984 / 22 Jan 1577 Scribe: Anonymous.

Note concerning work: At treatise on music.

References

Browne no. 1077

Palmer no. 211

Supplement to the catalogue of the Arabic manuscripts in the British Museum, C. Rieu (1894) p.561 [BL Or. 2361]

Supplement to the catalogue of the Persian manuscripts in the British Museum, C. Rieu (1895) p.115b [BL Or. 2361]

Physical Description

Form: codex

Extent: 30 folios.

Dimensions (leaf): 23.7 × 15 cm.

Dimensions (written): 17.5 × 8.6 cm.

Foliation: Foliated.

Layout

17 lines per page.

Ruled in double red with a dark blue outer. Rubrications in red. Catchwords.

Hand(s)

Script: nastaʿlīq. Quality: Good (naskh is used in the charts). Scribe: Anonymous.

Additions:

F.1r: the signature of Ant.y Polier. Ff.19-24: a number of finely executed diagrams indicate the stringing of musical instruments. The manuscript contains numerous charts in red and black ink.

Binding

Plain reddish brown leather, European style. Plain paper doublures. Dimensions: 23.8 × 14.9 × 1 cm. Unboxed. Polier's number: 467.

History

Origin: Tuesday beginning (3rd?) Dhū al-Qaʿdah 984 AH; 22 Jan 1577 CE

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

Music

Comments

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