Persian MS 240 (The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)
Persian Manuscripts
Contents
Michael Kerney suggests that Jones or an associate copied this volume himself under a pseudonym, reiterated by Jonathan Lawrence, 'Building a Library' pp. 11–12 ‘Ibrahīm Sarvalad’. However, the enimgatic reading seems more likely ‘bin Valī’ given the dual form of the prayer that follows, and it does not conform with Jones' handwriting. Whether copied by another European orientalist under a pseudonym remains undetermined. Therefore, this record treats the colophon as authentic, until proven otherwise. For other volumes that Jones formerly owned now held in the Rylands, see Persian MS 10, Persian MS 133, 187, 192, 219, 265, and 340.
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Layout
Written in 1 column with 19 lines per page. Unruled
Hand(s)
Written in clear black angular naskh with red markings and subheaders by Ibrahīm bin Velī, which may be a pseudonym.
Table of Contents: Pages 2 and 3 list the contents in Persian and English respectively.
Inscriptions: The second right flyleaf a side (f. iia) bears the number ‘(955)’ at top, as well as a notes in Greek and seemingly codes in the hand of former owner Sir William Jones , including a reference to the tale of Ḥaṭīn Ṭāy at top-left, which must refer to another manuscript.
The second right flyleaf b side (f. iib) signed in English at top, with notes about the manuscript in English and Latin underneath, by former owner Sir William Jones .
The The third right flyleaf a side (f. iiia) bears a Greek note and title in Persian in the hand of former owner Sir William Jones , together with an earlier Latin note note in sepia ink by an unidentified hand.
Bookplates: Left pastedown: ‘Bibliotheca Lindesiana’ with pencilled shelfmark ‘2/K’, and ‘Bland MSS No. 461’, with the name and number crossed out and ‘Persian’ and ‘240’ written aside.
Binding
Probably bound in Europe in the 17th century, subsequently restored.
Sewn on five cord supports laced into pasteboards. Edges trimmed and endbands sewn in yellow and red silk threads at head and tail. Covered in full brown calkfskin leather. Spine and corners subsequently replaced in medium brown calkskin leather, with endpapers of handmade early wove paper added to the beginning and end.
Board exteriors decorated in the 'Cambridge panel' style, with spattered potash. Central panel blind-tolled with double and single fillet lines, surrounded by a decorative roll featuring alternating flowers and arcs with blossoms inside. Board margins also blind-tooled with single and double fillets. Replaced spine titled and with double fillet lines at head and tail all in gold.
191 × 159 × 55 mm.
Handle binding with caution. In fair but stable condition, with exterior abrasion, and endbands now missing.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
While the circumstances under which this volume arrived in Britain remain unclear, the 17th-century binding and earlier Latin inscription indicate that a British scholar obtained it, from whom Sir William Jones (1746–1794) possibly acquired it while attending University College, Oxford between 1764 to 1773.
After Jones' death, his wife Lady Anna Maria Jones (1748–1829) inherited the volume, which after her death, the London firm of R. H. Evans (1778–1857) sold on 20 May 1831 (lot 432*), to bookseller John George Cochrane (1781–1852), who likely acted as an agent on behalf of Chancery Court Clerk and Royal Asiatic Society member Samuel Hawtayne Lewin (1795–1840), for whom he evidently also obtained other ex-Jones volumes (e.g. Rylands Persian MS 187 and 340; see Lawrence, 'Building a Library', pp. 11 n42, 12 n48, 70, Appendix 3).
After Lewin's death, his family evidently sold his manuscripts, largely then obtained by scholar Nathaniel Bland (1803–1865), after whose death, London bookseller Bernard Quaritch (1819–1899) sold his oriental manuscripts to Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford (1812–1880) in 1866.
Purchased by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908) in 1901 from James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford (1847–1913).
Bequeathed by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908) in 1908 to the John Rylands Library.
Record Sources
Bibliographical description based on an index created by Reza Navabpour circa 1993, derived from a manuscript handlist by Michael Kerney, circa 1890s and his Bibliotheca Lindesiana, Hand-list of Oriental Manuscripts: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, 1898.
Manuscript description by Jake Benson in 2023 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.
Digital Images
Manchester Digital Collections (full digital facsimile)
Bibliography
Funding of Cataloguing
Iran Heritage Foundation
The John Rylands Research Institute
The Persian Heritage Foundation
The Soudavar Memorial Foundation
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