Persian MS 770 (The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)
Persian Manuscripts
A composite volume of works on palmistry , medicine, poetry, and ornate prose, mainly copied by Rājah Shīr Singh (fl. ca. 1760–1800).
Contents
According to Haft Qalamī Dihlavī, Shīr Singh, his brother, and his teacher were all highly skilled archers.
Physical Description
Condition
Inscription: The first right flyleaf a side (f. ia) bears the title of the volume written in nasta‘līq.
Bookplates: The left pastedown: ‘Bibliotheca Lindesiana’ with pencilled shelfmark ‘2/K’, and ‘Hamilton MSS No. 687’, with the name and number crossed out and ‘Persian’ and ‘770’ written aside.
Binding
Probably restored and rebound in Delhi for former owner Colonel George William Hamilton.
Folios of comparatvely heavy-weight coarse paper added as endpapers, with very thin-weight European-made wove letter paper for the first and last flyleaves and pastedowns. Sewn at three station, unsupported. Edges trimmed, and chevron endbands of yellow and red threads twined at head and tail. Covered in full brown-red goatskin leather over pasteboards, with squares along the edges, defined joints, and without a flap (Type III binding per Déroche).
Boards edges and spine stained dark brown with the board exteriors decorated with scalloped central mandorlas and detached pendants blocked in gold, with interstices hand-tooled with small circle. Wide marginal ruling in gold leaf bears repeated impressions of rosettes formed of nine dots. Interior decoration ruled with vertical single yellow lines, surrounded by inner margins and either side of the margins ruled in the same. Board margin interiors and exteriors rule with double yellow lines. Spine bears an octagonal paper label titled in Persian:
‘مجموعهٔ مضمونهای متفرق’ (Miscellany of mixed contents).
151 × 93 × 20 mm.
Handle binding with caution. In fair but stable condition, with abrasion at the joints and spine
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.
Hamilton acquired over a thousand Indian and Persian manuscripts which he brought to Britain after he retired. After his death, the British Museum purchased 352 from his widow, Charlotte Logie Hamilton (1817–1893), now held in the British Library.
Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford (1812–1880), purchased the remainder in 1868 for Bibliotheca Lindesiana at Haigh Hall, Wigan.
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.
Persian MS 770A
Contents
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
Written in 2 oblique and 4 perpendicular columns with variant lines per page. Unruled.
Hand(s)
Written in a bold, hasty, partly dotted black shikastah hand.
Decoration
Ruling: Text margins ruled with double red lines surrounded by single dark blue lines, with the latter again on the outer margins.
Persian MS 770B
Contents
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Layout
Primarily written in 1 oblique and 2 vertical columns with 9 lines on the former and 10 on the latter. lines per page. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.
Hand(s)
Written in clear minute black nasta'līq with occasional shikastah ligatures.
Decoration
Ruling: Text margins ruled with gold outlined in single interior and double exterior thin black lines, surrounded by single blue lines, with black double lines on the outer margins.
Persian MS 770C
Contents
The inclusion of a palmistry chart found on folio 136b probably pertains to this work.
References
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Layout
Primarily written in 1 oblique and 2 vertical columns with variant lines on the former and 8 on the latter. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.
Hand(s)
Written in hasty black shikastah script.
Decoration
Ruling: Text margins ruled with vermillion single lines outlined in single interior and double exterior thin black lines, surrounded by single blue lines, with black double lines on the outer margins.
Persian MS 770D
Contents
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Layout
Primarily written in 1 oblique and 2 vertical columns with variant lines on the former and 8 on the latter. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.
Hand(s)
Written in hasty black shikastah script.
Decoration
Ruling: Text margins ruled with vermillion single lines outlined in single interior and double exterior thin black lines, surrounded by single blue lines, with black double lines on the outer margins.
Persian MS 770E
Contents
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Layout
Primarily written in 1 oblique and 2 vertical columns with variant lines on the former and 8 on the latter. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.
Hand(s)
Written in hasty black shikastah script.
Decoration
Ruling: Text margins ruled with vermillion single lines outlined in single interior and double exterior thin black lines, surrounded by single blue lines, with black double lines on the outer margins.
Persian MS 770F
Contents
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Layout
Primarily written in 1 oblique and 2 vertical columns with variant lines on the former and 8 on the latter. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.
Hand(s)
Written in hasty black shikastah script.
Decoration
Ruling: Text margins ruled with vermillion single lines outlined in single interior and double exterior thin black lines, surrounded by single blue lines, with black double lines on the outer margins.
Persian MS 770G
Contents
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Layout
Primarily written in 1 oblique and 2 vertical columns with variant lines on the former and 8 on the latter. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.
Hand(s)
Written in hasty black shikastah script.
Decoration
Ruling: Text margins ruled with vermillion single lines outlined in single interior and double exterior thin black lines, surrounded by single blue lines, with black double lines on the outer margins.
Persian MS 770H
Contents
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Layout
Primarily written in 1 oblique and 2 vertical columns with variant lines on the former and 8 on the latter. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.
Hand(s)
Written in hasty black shikastah script.
Decoration
Ruling: Text margins ruled with vermillion single lines outlined in single interior and double exterior thin black lines, surrounded by single blue lines, with black double lines on the outer margins.
Persian MS 770I
Contents
Same text as no. 17 below.
Unsigned, but probably completed by Shīr Singh given the similarity to others adjacent.
Unsigned, but probably completed by Shīr Singh given the similarity to others adjacent.
Same text as no. 8 above. Unsigned, but probably completed by Shīr Singh given the similarity to others adjacent.
Unsigned, but probably completed by Shīr Singh given the similarity to others adjacent.
Unsigned, but probably completed by Shīr Singh given the similarity to others adjacent.
Unsigned, but probably completed by Shīr Singh given the similarity to others adjacent.
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Layout
Primarily written in 1 oblique and 2 vertical columns with variant lines on the former and 8 on the latter. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.
Hand(s)
Written in hasty black shikastah script.
Decoration
Ruling: Text margins ruled with vermillion single lines outlined in single interior and double exterior thin black lines, surrounded by single blue lines, with black double lines on the outer margins.
Persian MS 770J
Contents
An Indic palmistry chart.
A chart depicts a hand with various lines and symbols.
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Hand(s)
Written in hasty black shikastah script.
Decoration
A chart depicts a hand with various lines and symbols.
Persian MS 770K
Contents
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Hand(s)
Written in hasty black shikastah script.
Persian MS 770L
Contents
Unsigned, but probably completed by Shīr Singh given the similarity to others adjacent.
Unsigned, but probably completed by Shīr Singh given the similarity to others adjacent.
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Hand(s)
Written in hasty black shikastah script.
Persian MS 770L
Contents
Unsigned, but probably completed by Shīr Singh given the similarity to other examples.
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Hand(s)
Written in hasty black shikastah script.
Decoration
A chart depicts a hand with various lines and symbols.
Additional Information
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 and corrections completed by Jake Benson in 2024 with reference to the volume in hand, and in consultation with Prof Fabrizio Speziale and Prof Prashant Keshavmurthy, McGill University regarding the Sāmudrīk palmistry text.
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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