Persian MS 431 (The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)
Persian Manuscripts
Contents
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Layout
Written in 1 column with 13 lines per page. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.
Hand(s)
Written in clear black nasta‘līq with subheaders in red.
Inscriptions: The right flyleaf a side (f. ia) bears the title and author in a bold nasta‘līq hand.
Bookplates: The left pastedown: ‘Bibliotheca Lindesiana’ with pencilled shelfmark ‘1/E’, and ‘Hamilton MSS No. 348’.
Binding
Probably bound in Delhi for patron or former owner Colonel George William Hamilton (1807-1868)
Abbreviated sewing on two recessed cords, laced into pasteboards. Endpapers of comparatively rough paper, probably handmade in the Indian subcontinent added to the beginning and end, then trimmed. Applied endbands adhere to the head and tail of the spine. Boards covered in half brown goatskin leather, with British-made 'Spanish' pattterned marbled paper sides.
The spine bears five erratic, blind-tooled flourishes.
262 × 183 × 20 mm.
In good condition, with exterior abrasion and interior staining.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
After his death, the British Museum selected 352 volumes from his collection of over a thousand Indian and Persian manuscripts, now held in the British Library.
Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford (1812–1880) purchased the remainder of Hamilton's collection in 1868.
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, concisely published as Bibliotheca Lindesiana, Hand-list of Oriental Manuscripts: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, 1898.
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.
Digital Images
Manchester Digital Collections (full digital facsimile)
Funding of Cataloguing
Iran Heritage Foundation
The John Rylands Research Institute
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