IO Islamic 4063 (Oriental Manuscripts, British Library)

Irvine Collection

Sa'di's Gulistan, with Bustan in margins

Summary of Contents: Sa'di's didactic works, the Gulistan and Bustan. Although the quality of the manuscript is fine, it has suffered much from water damage, the decay of its fabric, and maltreatment. Not dated. The poor condition of the binding has revealed a number of legal and trade documents that may be worth studying in their own right. With owner's seals and inscriptions.

1. ff. 1v-162r

Author: Saʿdī سعدى

Title: Gulistān

Title: گلستان‏

Transcribed in main text panel

Language(s): Persian

Copied from an original =-=-=-=-

2. ff. 1v-148v margins

Author: Saʿdī سعدى

Title: Būstān

Title: بوستان

Transcribed in narrow column in margin

Language(s): Persian

Physical Description

Form: codex

Support: Burnished cream paper cover in finely sprinkled flecks of gold within main text panel

Extent: 171 ff.

Dimensions (leaf): 221 × 155 mm.

Dimensions (written): 147 × 95 mm.

Condition

Folios heavily stained; worm holes; detaching text panels

Hand(s)

1) Gulistan: excellent calligraphic nastaʿlīq; 2) Bustan: fine calligraphic nastaʿlīq-i khafīwritten obliquely in single marginal column; 3) later annotations in crude Indian taʿlīq

Decoration

Rubrics and quotations in alternating blue and gold; jadāval or text panel and outer column rulings in gold, black, blue, and cupreous green or shangarf (now severely decayed)

Additions:

Inscriptions on folios and : Gulz̲ārīlaʿl, Farrukhābād Khāṣṣ, Muḥallah Madrassah-yi Jaʿfar Khān... 20 November 1878

Binding

Leather peeling away and internal paper layers of front and back boards delaminating, exposing original texts in Urdu, Persian, and English, with seals, inventories, and letters with dates. Subjects include, for example, karkhānahs in z̤ilaʿ Farrukhabad 1835 AD; parganah Chhibramau; the kotvali of Farrukhabad; legal papers relating to a Mawlavī Muḥammad Muḥsin dated 13 May 1855/1262 faṣlī/1912 sam[v]at, etc.

Seal(s):

Folios 56v, 57r, 147v: Rām Parshād valad-i Fatḥchand 12

History

Origin: 16th century CE ; Iran or Central Asia

Provenance and Acquisition

William Irvine

1913-08-15

William Irvine

Availability

Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card for admissions procedures contact British Library, Registering for a Reader Pass. Contact apac-enquiries@bl.ukfor further information on the availability of this manuscript. For information on catalogues and ordering manuscripts see Finding and ordering Persian manuscripts in the British Library.

Funding of Cataloguing

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