Manuscript. Persian. Title supplied from container. Scribe not identified. Written in India? Paper; thin, lightly polished laid paper with vertical laid lines and no visible chain lines or watermarks; elaborate floral carpet page in blue, gold, pink, and black surrounded by three borders: the outer of a gold floral design, the next of a repeating design in blue and gold and the inner of a floral design of repeating flowers in alternating rose and pink on a gold background; remainder of text has outer ruled bord of thin blue, white, gold, red and dark blue; text block within ruled border in blue, white, red, blue, a wider floral border and an inner border of blue and red; sections separated by a horizontal block in gold; hemistichs divided by a wide dark blue vertical divider with gold highlighting; black ink; catchwords. Nastaʻlīq; 15 lines in written area 13 x 6.2 cm. Numerous miniatures throughout the text. Fol. 1b-466b (incomplete) Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M19. Binding; disbound; text block and many pages loose in remainder of binding which is brown leather; spine lacking. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
Son of a Scottish military adventurer and a woman of the Indian martial nobility, James Skinner (1778-1841) became a famous soldier with his private regiment Skinner Horse, which still continues in the Indian Army. He was a fluent writer in Persian, the prestige language of India in his day, and composed his "Kitab-i tasrih al-aqvam" (History of the Origin and Distinguishing Marks of the Different Castes of India), given by James S. Collins of Pennsylvania to the Rosenwald Collection. The castes presented here are Khattris, nobles who converted from Hinduism to Islam and who function as lawyers and judges. This particular Khattri seems comfortable and benevolent, and is blessed with a son or student fiercely attentive to his dictation. The style is of the Company School, paintings made by local artists combining Mogul traditions with a minute realism to record people and natural history for staff members of the British East India Company which was taking over India.
Manuscript. Persian. Title based on comparison with printed edtions. Name of scribe not indicated. Probably written in Turkey. Papaer; light cream color lightly polished laid paper with horizontal chain lines and no visible watermarks; text enclosed in and divided by single red lines; gold unwan; black ink with section headings in red ink; catchwords. Manuscript appears to be unfinished as section titles end at the first section on fol. 17a; blank section dividision title box blank through the rest of the work. Naskh; 17 lines in written area 12.3 x 6.7 cm. Fol. 1b-29a. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M129. Contemporary deep red morocco Turkish binding with gold borders and center gold medallion. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
Manuscript. Persian Title from container. Written by Salmān Bint ʻAlī Pāshā. Written in India or Turkey. Paper; heavy, reinforced laid paper with vertical chain lines and no visible watermarks; sections contining lines of poetry are inlaid; text enclosed in a ruled border of thin blue, wider gold and a very wide greenish blue border; verses are divided by a similar wide greenish line and each verse block is also outlined in gold; margins ard dyed reddish with dark flecks; black ink. Nastaʻliq; 2 lines in written area 4.7 x 10.7 cm. Fol. 1b-14b Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M161. Binding; contemporary leather accordion binding; leaves written on one side only. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
Manuscript. Persian and Arabic. Title devised by cataloger. Written in Iran. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M207. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.