King's Pote 252 (King's College Library, King's College Cambridge)

Pote Collection

Summary of Contents: 1 copy of Shāhjahān nāmah.

Author: Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ Kambūh, d. 1674? محمد صالح كمبوه

Title: Shāhjahān nāmah

Title: شاه جهان نامه

Language(s): Persian

Colophon details: Date: Undated Scribe: Anonymous.

Colophon further notes: The final page is a replacement without a date.

Note concerning work: Work completed in 1070/1659-60.

References

Browne no. 791

Palmer no. 252

Persian Literature: a bio-bibliographical survey C. A. Storey 1927–39 I.1 p.580

Mughals in India: a bibliographical survey. Vol. 1. Manuscripts D.N. Marshall 1962 p.338

Physical Description

Form: codex

Extent: 745 folios.

Dimensions (leaf): 27.5 × 17 cm.

Dimensions (written): 21.5 × 11 cm.

Foliation: Foliated.

Condition

The final page is a replacement.

Layout

19 lines per page.

Ff.1v-2r: ruled in black-outlined gold with a red outer with a marginal border in gold flower pattern. Therafter black-outlined yellow with a red outer and blue marginal frame. Rubrications in red. Catchwords.

Hand(s)

Script: shikasta. Scribe: Anonymous.

Decoration

F.1v: an illuminated sarlauh in gold, blue, purple and bright green. Ff.1v-2r: a border made up of a chain of flowers in gold.

Additions:

F.1r: the seal of ʿIbād Allāh (1188). End flyleaf: a note: Żiyāʾ al-Dawla Navāb Bahādur, 1168; another note is dated 20 Muḥarram, year 3 of ʿĀlamgīr.

Binding

Two tones of brown leather, Indian style. Plain leather doublures. Decorations: Metal inlaid turanj, two pendants, corner pieces and a border of cartouches and corner pieces. Condition: The lower board is detached. Dimensions: 27 × 16.5 × 6.5 cm. Unboxed. Polier's number: 585.

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

Union Catalogue of Manuscripts from the Islamicate World