Top of page

About this Item

Title

  • Insha'

Names

  • Qa'im Khan

Created / Published

  • 18th century

Headings

  • -  Calligraphy, Arabic
  • -  Calligraphy, Persian
  • -  Manuscripts, Persian--Washington (D.C.)
  • -  Calligraphy, Indian
  • -  Arabic script calligraphy
  • -  Illuminated Islamic manuscripts
  • -  Indian nasta'liq
  • -  Islamic calligraphy
  • -  Islamic manuscripts

Notes

  • -  Literary compositions or letters (insha') written in Indian Nasta'liq by the calligrapher: Mir Kalan, Khan Zaman in Janpur in India.
  • -  Dimensions of Written Surface: Recto: 10.5 (w) x 19.5 (h) cm. Dimensions of Written Surface: Verso: 8 (w) x 14 (h) cm
  • -  The calligraphies are typically written a hasty nasta'liq on white paper, framed in blue, and pasted to a pink or salmon cardboard. They stand out for being in rather poor condition, in many cases badly damaged by worm holes and/or water stains. Some bear squiggle-like marks in the margins, while others include seal impressions that were cut out and pasted onto the cardboards. In most cases, an attribution to a calligrapher is written at the top, preceded by the expression "written by" (raqamahu) or "the handwriting of" (khatt-i...).
  • -  The recto of this particular composition is attributed to Qa'im Khan, as noted by the inscription on the top "fa'la Qa'im Khan pa[sar]..." (made by Qa'im Khan, son of...). A small squiggle design appears in the lower left corner. The composition itself appears on a white-and-blue marble paper decorated with salmon flowers. It begins with a praise of God ("He is the Glorified," or huwa al-'aziz), followed by two bayts (verses) of poetry on the pain of separation (firaq) composed by the great Persian poet Hafiz (d. ca. 792/1390). The writer then states that he received his friend's letter, which was like a flower for him. Although this letter (insha') is filled with ornate and elaborate expressions, the writer admits at the end that it was written in haste (hararahu bi al-'ajalah).
  • -  The verso, like this fragment's recto (1-84-154.54 R), is attributed to Qa'im Khan, as noted by the inscription on the top "fa'la Qa'im Khan pa[sar]..." (made by Qa'im Khan, son of...). The composition itself appears on a white paper decorated with blue sprinkles, and consists of a polite letter (insha') addressed to a certain Navab Sahib (an title further supporting the Indian origin of these letters). The writer states that he is pleased to have received Navab Sahib's letter, which was like a sweet smelling flower (gul-i khush bu), and is eager to see him. He thanks Navab Sahib for having done very thoughtful things for him, and ends his letter by promising that he will not forget his kindness.
  • -  This calligraphic fragment belongs to a series of twenty-two literary compositions or letters (insha') written by the calligraphers named Mir Kalan, Khan Zaman (son of Khan Khanan), Qa'im Khan, Lutfallah Khan, and Mahabat Khan (1-84-154.49, 1-84-154.53-54, 1-87-154.146a-f, and 1-88-154.30). Judging from the script (Indian nasta'liq), a seal impression bearing the date 1113/1701-2 (1-87-154.146a R), and a letter mentioning the city of Janpur in India, it appears that these writings were executed in India during the 18th century. Furthermore, if one were to identify the calligrapher Mir Kalan as the renowned painter active during the mid-18th century in Lucknow, then this identification would add further support to identifying this calligraphic series in the Library of Congress' collection as a corpus of materials produced by several writers active in 18th-century India.
  • -  Script: Indian nasta'liq
  • -  1-84-154.54

Medium

  • 1 volume ; 19.1 (w) x 29 (h) cm

Repository

  • Library of Congress African and Middle Eastern Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2019714603

Online Format

  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The contents of the Library of Congress Selections of Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions and are free to use and reuse.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, African and Middle East Division, Near East Section Persian Manuscript Collection

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Qa'Im Khan. Insha'. 18th Century. Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714603/.

APA citation style:

Qa'Im Khan. Insha'. 18th Century. [Manuscript/Mixed Material] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714603/.

MLA citation style:

Qa'Im Khan. Insha'. 18th Century. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2019714603/>.