Persian MS 31 (The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)
Persian Manuscripts
Contents
Physical Description
Original Persian foliation in ink, beginning on the first folio.
Modern pencilled Arabic numberal begin on the fly-leaf rather than the first folio.
Collation
Condition
Layout
Written in 2 columns with 14 lines per page. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.
Hand(s)
Written in a clear black nasta‘līq with subheaders in white.
Decoration
Four mid-to-late-16th-century illustrations, including one double-page opening, attributed by B.W. Robinson to Shaybanid-era Bukhara.
Illuminated heading on folio 1b.Margins richly decorated with spray-painted stenciled designs in various colours, outlined in gold. Some margins bear applied paper medallions in contrasting colours bearing painted arabesque designs.
Inscription: right flyleaf a side:
‘To the Revd. A. Clarke LL.D. with W. Oliver's respectful Compts. 1810’, followed by an unidentified line of Persian poetry and the title of the work written twice.
Bookplates: The left paste-down, ‘Bibliotheca Lindesiana’ with shelfmark ‘F/11’, ‘Bland MSS No. 41’.
Binding
Resewn at four stations, possibly on supports, but without endbands. Bound in a fairly modern binding, probably in India, in smooth, fine-grained, polished red goatskin leather flush with the edges and without a flap (type III binding per Déroche). Boards blind-stamped with scalloped central medallions, detached pendants and corner-pieces engraved with floral scrollwork. Internal doublures of the same red leather as the exterior. Spine rebacked in goatskin leather, with repairs to the top edges of the boards and new hinges of the same leather. Flyleaves of modern European wove cream-coloured and orange-tinted cross-grained laid paper
274 × 173 × 17 mm.
Handle with caution. In fair condition. Spine linings restrict the text block opening.
Folio 1a impressed with relief-cut, Latin script initials ‘W*O’. 21.5 × 26 mm.
Folio 19a bears an illegible octagonal seal impression, intaglio-carved in nasta'liq script, double-ruled, dated 1804, which comports with others belonging to former owner William Oliver in the Rylands collection (e.g. Persian MS 315:
‘ولیم اولر ۱۸۰۴’ 21.5 × 26 mm.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
Formerly the property of William Oliver (d. 1847) of the East India Company and early Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. An early graduate of Fort William College, he ultimately served on the Madras Presidency Council Board until his retirement in 1836.
In 1810, Oliver presented the manuscript to Methodist theologian Adam Clarke (ca. 1762–1832), after whose death his son Joseph Butterworth Bulmer Clarke, (ca.1797–1854) inherited the collection and offered it for sale (cat. no. 74), but thereafter omitted in subsequent sale catalogues of Clarke's library.
Subsequently acquired by Persian scholar Nathaniel Bland (1803–1865), after whose death London antiquarian dealer 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 catalogue by Michael Kerney, circa 1890s and his Bibliotheca Lindesiana, Hand-list of Oriental Manuscripts: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, 1898.
Description of illustrations derived from B.W. Robinson, Persian Paintings in the John Rylands Library: A Descriptive Catalogue.
Manuscript description by Jake Benson in 2021 with reference to the volume.
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.
Bibliography
Funding of Cataloguing
Iran Heritage Foundation
The John Rylands Research Institute
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