King's Pote 44 (King's College Library, King's College Cambridge)

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Pote Collection

Summary of Contents: 1 copy of Inshā-yi Bīdil.

Author: Bīdil, ʿAbd al-Qādir, 1644 or 5-1720 or 21 بيدل، عبد القادر

Note concerning author: In the colophon: ʿAbd Allāh Murvārīd.

Language(s): Persian

Colophon details: Date: Sunday, 18 Dhū al-Qaʿdah 1163 (year 3 Aḥmad Shahi) / 19 Oct 1750 Scribe: Prakās پركاس .

Colophon further notes: The colophon is on f.116r-v. The work was commissioned by Sayyid Abū al-Qāsim ʿIbrat Jīv.

Note concerning work: Epistolary models.

References

Browne no. 106

Palmer no. 44

Catalogue of the Persian manuscripts in the British Museum (3 vols.) C. Rieu 1879-1883 p.811a [BL Add. 7690]

Mughals in India: a bibliographical survey. Vol. 1. Manuscripts D.N. Marshall 1962 p.115

A catalogue of Persian manuscripts in the library of the University of Cambridge, E. Browne (1896) p.284, no. 193 [Camb. Add. 751]

Physical Description

Form: codex

Extent: 112 folios.

Dimensions (leaf): 17.6 × 11.7 cm.

Dimensions (written): 13.7 × 8 cm.

Foliation: Foliated.

Layout

11 lines per page.

Ruled in double blue with a blue outer. Ff.1v-2r ruled in orange, blue and red.

Hand(s)

Script: Indian shikasta. Quality: Neat. Scribe: Prakās پركاس.

Decoration

F.1v: a decorated sarlauh (Indian style), light orange and blue.

Additions:

Marginal notes. A note at the end states the manuscript was in the hands of Gul Muḥammad b. Muḥammad Fażil before he sold it, in 20 Jumādā II, 1173 (8 Feb 1760).

Binding

Dark brown leather, Indian style. Doublures are plain brown leather with a gold ruling. Decorations: Gold inlay: turanj, two pendants, four corner pieces (all decorated with floral designs). Dimensions: 17.7 × 11.8 × 2.9 cm. Boxed. Polier's number: 37.

History

Origin: Sunday, 18 Dhū al-Qaʿdah 1163 (year 3 Aḥmad Shahi) AH; 19 Oct 1750 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

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