King's Pote 31(2) (King's College Library, King's College Cambridge)

Pote Collection

Summary of Contents: 1 copy of Akbar-nāmah.

Author: Abū al-Faz̤l ibn Mubārak, 1551-1602 ابو الفضل بن مبارك

Language(s): Persian

Colophon details: Date: 6 Rabīʿ I, 1108 / 3 Oct 1696 Scribe: Anonymous.

Colophon further notes: Strangely, this final colophon (f.219v) is dated earlier than an internal colophon (f.135r): 14 Rabīʿ II 1108 / 10 Nov 1696. That internal colophon date is also stated to be year 39 of ʿĀlamgīr (i.e. Aurangzeb) which is inconsistent when compared to the colophon of volume 1 (1107, year 40).

References

Browne no. 82

Palmer no. 31.2

Catalogue of the Persian manuscripts in the British Museum (3 vols.) C. Rieu 1879-1883 pp.247-251 [BL Add 27247, BL Add 17926, BL Add. 18541, etc]

Catalogue of Persian manuscripts in the library of the India Office (2 vols.) H. Ethé 1903-37 col.99, no. 235 [BL IO Islamic 4]

Catalogue of the Persian, Turkish, Hindûstânî, and Pushtû Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library E. Sachau and H. Ethé 1889 col.110, no. 200 [Bodl. Elliot 4a and Elliot 4b]

Persian Literature: a bio-bibliographical survey C. A. Storey 1927–39 I.1 p.544 (all 3 vols 1007H); I.1 p.549

Mughals in India: a bibliographical survey. Vol. 1. Manuscripts D.N. Marshall 1962 p.32

A catalogue of Persian manuscripts in the library of the University of Cambridge, E. Browne (1896) p.162, no. 87 [Camb. Oo. 6.1]

Physical Description

Form: codex

Extent: 219 folios.

Dimensions (leaf): 36.4 × 20.2 cm.

Dimensions (written): 25.8 × 12.3 cm.

Foliation: Foliated.

Layout

25 lines per page.

Ruled in red either side of blue (first opening: red, gold and blue).

Hand(s)

Script: Indian nastaʿlīq. Quality: (same as vol. 1). Scribe: Anonymous.

Decoration

F.1v: an illuminated sarlauh .

Additions:

Flyleaf: an English note in the hand of Henry Bradshaw gives details of the collation (of quires). Flyleaf: the seal of Polier (1181).

Binding

Reddish brown leather, Indian style. Doublures: plain leather. Decorations: Pressure-moulded turanj with 2 pendants. Condition: The binding is detached (in need of repair). Dimensions: 35.2 × 19.5 × 3 cm. Boxed. Polier's number: 26+.

History

Origin: 6 Rabīʿ I, 1108 AH; 3 Oct 1696 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

Bibliography

Work in multiple volumes bearing the class-marks: 31(1), 31(2), 31(3).

Funding of Cataloguing

King's College Cambridge

Subjects

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