Persian MS 759 (The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)
Persian Manuscripts
Contents
Physical Description
- 1: An undetermined heraldic symbol.
32 × 52 mm. - 2: A fleur de lis with the initials ‘BT’ underneath.
52 × 18 mm.
Collation
Condition
Layout
Written in 1 column with 24 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 name of former owner Colonel George William Hamilton in bold black nasta‘līq, likely in the hand of his assistant Muhīn Dās.
Bookplates: Left pastedown: ‘Bibliotheca Lindesiana’ with pencilled shelfmark ‘2/K’, and ‘Bland MSS No. 327’.
Binding
Possibly rebound in a European manner in the Indian subcontinent.
Sewn on two cord supports laced into pasteboards. Edged trimmed and spattered in red. Striped cloth stuck-on endpapers applied to head and tail. Covered in half smooth brown goatskin leather with 'Stormont' patterned marbled paper sides.
An octagonal paper label bears the title written in bold black nasta‘līq.
233 × 173 × 31 mm.
Handle binding with caution. In fair condition, with extensive abrasion to the exterior. Boxed.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
Subsequently acquired by Colonel George William Hamilton (1807-1868) who served in India from 1823 to 1867, latterly as Commissioner in Delhi. He acquired over a thousand Indian and Persian manuscripts, from which the British Museum selected 352, 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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