King's Pote 72 (King's College Library, King's College Cambridge)
Pote Collection
Contents
Colophon details: Date: Undated Scribe: Anonymous.
Colophon further notes: Incomplete so there is no colophon.
Note concerning manuscript: Judging from the hand this is quite an old manuscript (9th/15th century?).
Note concerning work: A biography of notable personages of Yaman. This manuscript contains chapters xvii-xxx, letters ظ to the end, which is approximately the second half of the work in the 4 volume edition of al-ʿAbbādī et al. (2009) entitled al-ʿIqd al-fākhir al-ḥasan. The editors believe Sana'a, Great Mosque 136 is the autograph of parts 3 & 4 of 4, which would overlap with the King's manuscript.
References
Physical Description
Condition
Layout
37 lines per page.
Not ruled. Rubrications in red and black.
Hand(s)
Script: naskh. Quality: Fine, clear and rather old (9th century?). Scribe: Anonymous.
Decoration
F.1v: a full-page decoration in red black and tan (a central circle with panels above and below and two medallions on the gutter side).
F.1r: numerous seals with inspection notes but mostly covered by another page of paper (legible with backlighting; including a possession note dated 1129). F.2r: four seals in the margins including a circular seal inscribed Murād mīkhāham az Muḥammad ("I seek satisfaction [of my petition] from Muḥammad") and a circular seal for Muḥammad Ḥasan ibn Shaykh Muḥammad Yūsuf, dated 1084, alongside an inspection note dated 25 Muḥarram 1084, with another inspection note dated 5 Shaʿbān, year 16. F.17r: two identical circular seals ( al-wāfiq al-qudūs..., dated 107*). The manuscript contains marginal notes.
Signs of collation.
Binding
Tan suede, European style. Plain paper doublures (watermarked: "WHATMAN"). Condition: Rodent (?) damage at one corner. The final two quires are loose. Dimensions: 33 × 25.5 × 4.7 cm. Boxed. Polier's number: 167.
History
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
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
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