Persian MS 861 (The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)
Persian Manuscripts
Contents
This chapter lacks a heading.
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Layout
Written in 2 columns with 12 lines in the centres, with occasional obliquely written passages. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.
Hand(s)
Written in clear black nasta‘līq hand with red subheaders by Muḥammad Ḥusayn Kashmīrī.
Decoration
Illumination: Folios 1b bears an uninscribed gold catouche gilt palmette foliate scrollwork on an ultramarine ground, surrounded by an elaborately entwined marginal design and verdigris copper green marginal ruling.
46 × 63 mm.
Ruling: Text margins ruled in gold outlined with thin single internal and double external black lines surrounded by single blue lines.
Marginalia: Notes in various hands of former owners including Ross and Forbes throughout.
Inscriptions: The first right flyleaf b side (f. ib) bears the numbered ‘D. F. 243’ and price of ‘£6.16.6’ pencilled at bottom, both pertaining to former owner Duncan Forbes' catalogue.
Bookplates and labels: Left pastedown: ‘Bibliotheca Lindesiana’ with pencilled shelfmark ‘F/10’, and white label bearing an earlier Lindesiana class mark ‘Persian MSS No. 67’, with the number crossed out and ‘861’ written aside.
Binding
Originally bound in the Indian subcontinent possibly for former owner William Jackson in or after ca. 1788, and then subsequently restored in London for Duncan Forbes after circa 1824.
Ivory wove endpapers dated 1824, stiff-leaved with flocked dark gray paper for the pastedowns and flyleaves added to the beginning and end, then resewn on three flat thongs or tapes. Edges trimmed, left undecorated but polished, with striped cloth endbands adhered to head and tail. Originally covered in full dark brown goatskin leather over pasteboards. Spine subsequently replaced with black straight-grained Morocco goatskin leather, hollow-backed.
Boards decorated with gilt paper onlays featuring scalloped central mandorlas, horizontal cartouches, and detached pendants joined by single vertical ruled lines, and cornerpieces, also connected by single gold lines, surrounded by double gold lines, with another pair of gold lines ruled along the board edges. Replaced spine panels bear double fillet lines, with large quatrefoil central designs and the author's name and title lettered, all in gold.
222 × 138 × 37 mm.
Handle binding with caution. In fair but stable condition condition, with corners bumped and exposed, onlays extensively abraded, extensive wear to the head and tail caps.
Folio 1b, top, bears two impressions of the same oval intaglio-carved in three stacked nasta‘līq script lines read from the middle upwards then ending at the bottom, double-ruled with the name of William Jackson dated ‘year 12’, possibly 1212 AH (1700–1701 CE).
‘۱۲ مستر ولیم جکسن سنه’
21 × 26 mm.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
Later obtained by William Jackson (1753–1807), probably in Calcutta (Kolkata) where he served for 30 years ultimately at Registrar of the Supreme Court. After his death, presumably inherited by then sold by his surviving family members.
Subsequently acquired by an unidentified individual named ‘John Neale Esq’, who presented it to Persian scholar James Ross (1759–1831) in Exeter on 19 Sept 1818.
Thereafter 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 2024 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
Funding of Cataloguing
Iran Heritage Foundation
The John Rylands Research Institute
The Persian Heritage Foundation
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