Persian MS 977–978 (The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)
Persian Manuscripts
An early Mughal illustrated Shāhnāmah in two volumes.
Contents
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Layout
Preface written in 1 column, with the poem proper in 4, with 23 lines per page. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.
Hand(s)
Written in black nasta'līq in with subheaders in gold, blue, and red, by Shihāb Kātib.
A second comparatively hasty shikastah-nasta‘līq hand apparently completed many of the red subheaders
Binding
Probably split and rebound as two European-style volumes in Britain in the early-mid-19th century for former owner with the initials ‘C. M.’
History
Note that Rafiee-Rad misinterprets praise of the work in the colophon and its author ‘Mīrzā Abū al-Qāsim’, as the patron who commisioned the volume.
Provenance and Acquisition
Formerly owned by one Amān Allāh as per his dated seal impression on folio 14a in the first volume.
The circumstances under which this volume arrived in Britain remain unclear, an individual who initialled several folios ‘C. M.’ obtained the manuscript, who appears probably responsible for the division and rebinding of the manuscript into two volumes, but whose exact identity remains unclear.
Thereafter acquired Manchester merchant and scholar Samuel Robinson (1794–1884) of Wilmslow, the author of Persian Poetry for English Readers (1883), who donated it to Owens College (the original institution that evolved into the of The University of Manchester today).
Transferred to the John Rylands Library in circa 1975 after it merged with the University of Manchester.
Persian MS 977
Contents
Physical Description
Decoration
Illumination: Opening double folios 1b and 2a.
Folio 14b bears an illuminated header at the start of the poem proper.
112 × 118 mm.
Illustrations: Seven scenes rendered by three different painters, a comparatively immature hand (Painter A), a more accomplished commercial one (Painter B), as well as a comparatively refined and talented artist (Painter C):
- 1: Folio 23a: The story of Zahhāk and Kāveh, the Blacksmith. Painter A.
داستان ضحاک با کاوه آهنگر.
70 × 85 mm. - 2: Folio 28b, The sons of Faridūn go to the the King of Yemen's palace. Painter C.
رفتن پسران فریدون بنزد سرو شاه یمن.
67 × 88 mm. - 3: Folio 37b: The ambush of Tūr, who dies at Manūchihr's hands. Painter B.
شبحون کردن تور و کشته شدن او بر دست منوچهر.
124 × 120 mm. - 4: Folio 57a: Rūdābah cries out in pain while she gives birth to Rustam, which Zāl seeks to alleive as the Sīmurgh arrives. Painter A.
فریاد کردن رودابه از درد زه و چاره ساختن زال و آمدن سیمرغ و تولد شدن رستم.
75 × 118 mm.
Rafiee-Rad, pl. 6. - 5: Folio 102a: The beginning of the tale of Siyāvash. Painter C.
آغاز داستان سیاوش.
67 × 118 mm. --> - 6: Folio 219b: Bīzhan battles, defeats, and kills Hūmān. Painter C.
آغاز داستان سیاوش.
78 × 118 mm. - 7: Folio 266b: The death of Garsīvaz and Afrāsīyāb die at Kay Khusraw's hands. Painter B.
آغاز داستان سیاوش.
60 × 117 mm.
Blank spaces: Numerous blank areas intended for illustrations but left unfinished appear throughout.
Ruling: Margins ruled in wide single gold lines outlined with thin single black lines throughout. Folios 14b to 15a at the start of the poem bear three vertical wide gilt column separators decorated with chain lines and geometric designs.
Inscriptions:
- Folio 1a: signed by former owner ‘Samuel Robinson, Blackbrook Cottage, Wilmslow, 1857’.
- Folio 14a bears a partially trimmed purchase note that reads
‘بتاریخ ۲۵...از مراد... بقیمت’
(‘On the date of the 25th...from Murād... for the price of...’).
Left pastedown: ‘Samuel Robinson, Blackbrook Cottage, Wilmslow’.
Binding
Resewn on four raised cords, laced into pastebaords, with heavy-weight wove paper added as endpapers at the beginning. Edges trimmed and gilt. Covered in a full diced Russia calfskin leather. Spine subsequently relined, machine-made headbands added at head and tail, then rebacked in chieftain goatskin leather, with cross-grained, buff-coloured, machine-made laid paper likely also added at the beginning and end.
Board margins bear wide gilt decorative rolls featuring alternating floral and palmette designs, outlined on the interior with a single fillet with decorative scallop and the exterior with thick-and-thin fillet lines. Inner margins blind tooled with wide bold reflecting Greek meanders, with narrow scrollwork rolls outlining the interior, and floriate corner motifs. Raised bands on the rebacked spine palleted with two parallel fillets with perpendicular floral motifs, and thick-and-thin palletes on either side. Titled in the second, third, and fourth panels
‘Shahnameh’
‘Firdausi’
‘Vol. I’.
285 × 182 × 40 mm.
Handle binding with condition. In fair but stable condition, with abrasion to the exteriors and board edges, exposed or bumped corners.
‘ في امان الله ’
14 × 14 mm.
Persian MS 978
Contents
The second of two volumes of the Shāhnāmah, with seven illustrations by Painter B.
Physical Description
Decoration
Illumination: illuminated header at the start of the story of Kāmūs Kashānī (compare with Persian MS 977, folio 14b).
112 × 118 mm.
Illustrations: Seven scenes, all probably rendered by 'Painter B' (compare with Persian MS 977). Note that the folio numbers given here reflects the volume as marked, which continue from the first volume:
- 1: Gushtāspbattles and kills a wolf .
جنگ کردن گشتاسب با گرگ و کشته شدن گرگ بدست گشتاسب.
67 × 117 mm. - 2: Gushtāsp battles and kills a dragon.
رزم گشتاسب با اژدها وکشته شدن اژدها بدست گشتاسب.
67 × 117 mm. Numbered ‘87’ (should be 77) at bottom-right - 3: Rustam's first labour: the killing of wolves.
گفتار اندر خان اول و کشته شدن گرگان.
75 × 117 mm. - 4: Isfandiyār kills the simurgh.
گفتار اندر خان پتجم.
72 × 82 mm. While the scene appears in relation to Rustam's fifth labour, the iconography here closely comports with images of Isfandiyār in his chariot. - 5: Rustam's fourth labour: the killing of the witch.
گفتار اندر خان چهارم و کشته شدن زن جادو.
72 × 82 mm. Numbered ‘80’ at bottom-right - 6: The death of Isfandiyār at Rustam's hands.
آغاز داستان سیاوش.
67 × 117 mm. - 7: Rustam falls into a well at the hunting grounds in Kabul.
اوفتادن رستم بچاه بشکارگاه کابل.
67 117
Blank spaces: Numerous blank areas intended for illustrations but left unfinished appear throughout.
Ruling: Margins ruled in wide single gold lines outlined with thin single black lines throughout.
Inscriptions:
- The third right flyleaf a side (f. iiia): signed by former owner ‘Samuel Robinson, Blackbrook Cottage, 1857’.
- Folio 16a bears a partially trimmed purchase note that reads
‘از مراد... بقیمت’
(‘From Murād... for the price of...’).
Left pastedown: ‘Samuel Robinson, Blackbrook Cottage, Wilmslow’.
Binding
Probably rebound in Britain the mid-19th century.
Covered in full leather over pasteboards.
Board exteriors blocked in gold
285 × 181 × 42 mm.
Binding in good condition.
Additional Information
Record Sources
Bibliographical description derived from Siavash Rafiee-Rad, 'Persian Manuscripts in Samuel Robinson’s Collection in The John Rylands Library' (2017), and the Cambridge Shahnama Project.
Manuscript description by Jake Benson in 2022 with reference to the volume in hand.
Availability
To book an in-person or online appointment to consult the manuscript, visit Using the Special Collections Reading Rooms. For any other enquiries please email uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk.
Custodial History
Digital Images
Manchester Digital Collections (full digital facsimile)
Bibliography
Funding of Cataloguing
The John Rylands Research Institute and Library
The Soudavar Memorial Foundation
Subjects
- Epic literature, Persian
- Epic literature, Iranian
- Islamic illumination of books and manuscripts
- Illumination of books and manuscripts, Asian
- Illumination of books and manuscripts, Indic Iranian influences
- Islamic miniature painting
- Illumination of books and manuscripts, Mogul Empire
- Miniature painting, Mogul Empire
- Persian poetry--747-1500
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