Persian MS 858 (The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)

Persian Manuscripts

Summary of Contents: This manuscript of the Kulliyāt (Complete Works) of Saʻdī features delicately illuminated headers at the start of each section. An unidentified scribe probably completed it in the Mughal Empire in 1063 AH (1652–53 CE).

Author: Saʻdī سعدى

Title: Kulliyāt

Title: كليات

Incipit: (basmala) برگ ۱پ (folio 1b):شکر و سپاس معبودی را جلّت قدرته که آفرینندۀ مخلوقات عالمست و روزی‌دهندۀ بنین و بنات آدم کریمی که خوان نعمتش بر مطیع و عاصی و دانی و قاضی کشیده و گسترده، دیوان رحمتش در گوش جان هر گنه‌کار در هر شب تاریککه هر شبان روزی چند بار این ندا می‌رسد که «هل من تائب هل من سائل هل من مستغفر». بخشایندهٔ که تار عنکبوت را سدّ عصمت دوستان کرد.

Explicit: برگ ۳۰۶ر (folio 306a): خدارا در فراخی خوان و در عیش و تن آسانی * نچون کارت بجان آید خدا از جان دل خوانی .

Colophon: برگ ۳۰۶ر (folio 306a): تمت الکتاب کلیات من کلام افصح المتکلمین شیخ سعدی علیه الرحمة سنه ۱۰۶۳ تم تم

Colophon: Completed 1063 AH (1652–53 CE).

Language(s): Persian

For other copies of the Kullīyāt held in the Rylands, see Persian MS 2, 283, 284, 859, 906, 931, and 967.

Physical Description

Form: codex

Support: Textblock of medium-weight, cross-grained, externally sized and polished, cream-coloured paper probably handmade in the Mughal Empire with ~11 laid lines per cm and no discernible chain lines.

Extent: 306 folios, 7 flyleaves (ff. iv + 0 + iii).

Dimensions (leaf): 295 × 164 mm.

Dimensions (written): 208 × 107 mm.

Foliation: Modern pencilled Arabic pagination added to the upper-left corners of the a sides to page 250 in the hand of former owner Duncan Forbes.

Foliation: Hindu-Arabic numerals on the upper-left corners of the a sides followed for this record.

Collation

Undetermined. Catchwords throughout most of the lower-left corners of the b sides.

Condition

Handle text with caution. In fair condition, with breaks in the marginal ruling discolouration and slight water damage and historical repairs throughout, especially in the gutters.

Layout

Written in 2 to 3 columns with 23 lines in the centres, which proceed to another 18 hemistichs or 9 couplets written on the diagonal in the outer marginal columns for a total of up 32 lines per page. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.

Hand(s)

Written in clear black nasta‘līq hand with red subheaders.

Decoration

Four delicately illuminated headers and openings:

Illumination: Folios 1b bears a scalloped domed headpiece with gilt palmette foliate scrollwork on an ultramarine ground and an inscribed central cartouche, and four vertical radiating lines.

Folios 66b–67a also bears a scalloped domed headpiece on the former with gilt palmette foliate scrollwork on an ultramarine ground, albeit without a title cartouche and surrounding marginal decoration as on the other openings.

123b–124a features a scalloped domed headpiece with gilt palmette foliate scrollwork on an ultramarine ground and an central cartouche inscribed Qaṣāyid ‘Arabī (Arabic Odes).

159b–160a features a scalloped domed headpiece with gilt palmette foliate scrollwork on an ultramarine ground and an central cartouche inscribed Ṭayyibāt (Pleasantries)

Ruling: Folios 1b and 2a ruled in gold outlined with thin black lines, and surrounded by another single line. The margins of folios 2b onwards ruled with single lines of ultramarine blue.

Additions:
Inscriptions: Folio 1a bears inspection or ownership notes by at least three Mughal-era owners given the seal impression and notations, including a partly obliterated one dated Muḥarram 1075 AH (Jul–Aug. 1664 CE), and another inspection notice at top-left dated 23 Shavvāl Year 46 [‘Ālamgīrī 1113 AH] (23 Mar. 1702 CE). Also signed by John Herbert Harington in 1 Aug. 1788 and James Ross (1759–1831) to whom Harington gifted it in Dec. 1793.
Folio 306a bers an acquisition statment by Mīrzā Mū'min Mashhadī for 100 rupees on 22 Rajab regnal year 22 (probably of ‘Ālamgīr, so 29 Aug 1679 CE).
Bookplates and labels: Left pastedown: ‘Bibliotheca Lindesiana’ with pencilled shelfmark ‘F/4’, and white label bearing an earlier Lindesiana class mark ‘Persian MSS No. 64’, with the number crossed out and ‘858’ written aside. A pasted catalogue entry pertains to the lot in Adam Clarkes Sotheby's sale.

Binding

Probably rebound in a hybrid British-Indian style in the Indian subcontinent for John Herbert Harington (1765–1828) in or after ca. 1788.

Ivory wove endpapers added to the beginning and end, then resewn on five recessed cords laced into pastebaords. stations, unsupported. Edges trimmed, and endbands added at head and tail, now lost. Covered in full diced 'Russia' leather over pasteboards. Interior doublures lined with maroon-coloured goatskin leather, their excess widths adhered as hinged connecting the cover to the text block, with strips of paper zig-zag cut along one edge applied over top to disguise the joins. Flyleaves of flocked dark gray paper stiff-leaved with the ivoury wove.

Boards decorated with recessed scalloped central mandorlas, detached pendants, and cornerpieces.

308 × 183 × 54 mm.

Handle binding with caution. In fair but stable condition condition, with head and tail caps broken, endbands missing, corners bumped and exposed, delaminating joints breaking, and extensive wear to the edges.

Seal(s):

Folios 1a bears two types of black intaglio-carved seal impressions, one partly legible.

1. A circular seal impression appears three times at the top, partly impressed and obliterated, in three stacked nasta‘līq lines read fro bottom to top, double-ruled, with the name of a Mughal era-nobleman possibly named Khān (?) Fidvī dated 1112 AH (1700–1701 CE) next to his notation dated 23 Shavvāl Year 46 [‘Ālamgīrī 1113 AH] (23 Mar. 1702 CE).
‘خان (؟) فدوی بادشاه عالمگیر غازی ۱۱۱۲’ ~28 mm. diam.

1. Two oblierated oval seal impressions appear at centre-left, one overwritten ‘1113 AH (1700–1701 CE)’:
~10 × 21 mm.

History

Origin: Probably completed in the Mughal Empire; 1063 AH (1652–1653 CE). Note that in his handlist Michael Kerney misinterprets the date as 1043.

Provenance and Acquisition

Subsequently owned or inspected by at least three Mughal-era owners given the seal impression and notations, including one dated Muḥarram 1075 AH (Jul–Aug. 1664 CE).

Purchased by Mīrzā Mū'min Mashhadī for 100 rupees on 22 Rajab regnal year 22 (probably of ‘Ālamgīr, so 29 Aug 1679 CE) as per his note on folio 306a.

Inspected by at top-left dated 23 Shavvāl Year 46 [‘Ālamgīrī 1113 AH] (23 Mar. 1702 CE).

Acquired by orientalist, colonial administrator, and judge John Herbert Harington (1765–1828) on 1 Aug. 1788, possibly in Calcutta (Kolkata), as per his note on folio 1a. The volume bears notes in his hand indicating that he consulted it when preparing his edition of the Arabic and Persian works of Sa‘dī that he published in Calcutta (Kolkata) in two volumes between 1791 to 1795.

Gifted by Harington to fellow Persian scholar James Ross (1759–1831) in Dec. 1793, as per his note on folio 1a.

Possibly either sold or given by Ross to King's College Professor of Oriental Languages Duncan Forbes (1798–1868), who describes the volume in his published catalogue (p. 27, no. 78), before he sold his manuscript collection to his publisher W. H. Allen & Co. in exchange for an annuity. Subsequently sold by that firm 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, Manchester.

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 2025 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.

Bibliography

H. Ethé, Catalogue of Persian manuscripts in the library of the India Office, Vol. I (London: Printed for the India Office by H. Hart, 1903), cols. cols. 655–675, nos. 1117–1130 [British Library IO Islamic 876 &c.].

D. Forbes, Catalogue of Oriental Manuscripts, Chiefly Persian, Collected Within the Last Five and Thirty years (London: W. H. Allen., 1866), p. 27, no. 78.

D. N. Marshall, Mughals in India: A Bibliographical Survey. Vol. 1. Manuscripts (Bombay: Asia Publishing House, 1962), p. 424, no. 1069(ii).

C. Rieu, Catalogue of the Persian manuscripts in the British Museum, Vol. II (London: British Museum1881), pp. 595–605 (esp. p. 596) [British Library BL Add. 24944 &c.].

E. Sachau and H. Ethé, Catalogue of the Persian, Turkish, Hindûstani, and Pushtû manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Vol. I (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1889), col. 525–539, nos. 681–691 [Bodleian MS. Ouseley Add 39].

C. A. Storey, Persian Literature: A Bio-bibliographical Survey [Online] 2021), Vol. III, Pt. 3 Tales no. 688 [Gulistān].

Funding of Cataloguing

Iran Heritage Foundation

The John Rylands Research Institute

The Persian Heritage Foundation

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