King's Pote 257 (King's College Library, King's College Cambridge)

Pote Collection

Summary of Contents: 1 copy of Khamsa.

Author: Niẓāmī نظامی گنجوی

Title: Khamsa

Title: خمسهء نظامى

Language(s): Persian

Colophon details: Date: Undated Scribe: Anonymous.

Note concerning work: Contains only the Khusraw va Shīrīn.

References

Browne no. 455

Palmer no. 257

Catalogue of the Persian manuscripts in the British Museum (3 vols.) C. Rieu 1879-1883 pp.564 et seqq. [BL Add 7729]

Persian Literature: a bio-bibliographical survey C. A. Storey 1927–39 V.2 p.459

A catalogue of Persian manuscripts in the library of the University of Cambridge, E. Browne (1896) p.303, no. 211 [Camb. Oo. 6.11]

Physical Description

Form: codex

Extent: c. 200 folios.

Dimensions (leaf): 25.7 × 13.5 cm.

Dimensions (written): 17 × 8 cm.

Foliation: Neither foliated nor paginated.

Layout

15 lines per page.

Ruled in double red with a blue outer. Catchwords.

Hand(s)

Script: nastaʿlīq. Scribe: Anonymous.

Decoration

F.1v: a sarlauh in blue and red ink; red decorations between the two columns.

Additions:

F.1r: numerous notes, some of which are erased (one dated 24 Muḥarram 1159, Shāhjahānābād; another dated 24 Dhū al-Qaʿdah 1158). Final page: an erased seal and an erased note below the colophon recording an owner: ʿAbd Allāh… Kishmīrī. The manuscript contains many marginal notes.

Signs of collation.

Binding

Light brown leather, European style. Plain brown paper doublures. Decorations: Tooled patterns in two bands with further tooling on the spine. Embossed: "Shirin e Khoos** of Nizami". Dimensions: 26.5 × 15 × 3 cm. Unboxed. Polier's number: unknown.

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

Funding of Cataloguing

King's College Cambridge

Subjects

Persian poetry--747-1500

Comments

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