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About this Item

Title

  • Insha'

Names

  • Qa'im Khan

Created / Published

  • 18th century

Headings

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

Notes

  • -  Insha' literary compositions or letters (insha') written by the calligrapher Qa'im Khan, in the Indian Nasta'liq script, from Janpur in India in the 18th Cent.
  • -  An attribution note at the top of the recto of this fragment states that this calligraphic fragment was written by (raqamahu) by Qa'im Khan. The main text, written in black ink, appears on both a white paper speckled in blue and a marble paper decorated with orange flowers and green leaves. In the center of the lower horizontal margin appears a seal impression bearing the date 1116/1704-5. At the beginning of the composition appears the phrase in praise of God "huwa al-qadir" (He is the [All-]Powerful), followed by the writer's letter. Here, he states that he received his friend's letter and has wanted to write back. He is distressed that he has not heard from his friend. To make his message clear, the writer includes a bayt (verse) of Hafiz (d. ca. 792/1390) on separation and pain, as well as a Qur'anic ayah stating that if someone helps others, God shall help him in return.
  • -  An attribution note at the top of the verso of this fragment states that this calligraphic fragment was also written by (raqamahu) by Qa'im Khan. The main text, written in black ink, appears on both a white paper speckled in blue and a marble paper decorated with orange flowers and green leaves. At the beginning of the composition appears the word huwa (literally, "He," functioning as the laudatory incipit "In the Name of God"), followed by the writer's letter to a certain Navab Sahib. stating that he is very thankful to the latter for his help, and that he is his servant and wishes to be at his side again.
  • -  Dimensions of Written Surface: Recto: 10 (w) x 19.7 (h) cm. Dimensions of Written Surface: Verso: 12 (w) x 24.5 (h) cm
  • -  The calligraphies are typically written a in 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...).
  • -  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
  • -  1-88-154.50

Medium

  • 1 volume ; 18.9 (w) x 29.5 (h) cm

Repository

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

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2019714678

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/2019714678/.

APA citation style:

Qa'Im Khan. Insha'. 18th Century. [Manuscript/Mixed Material] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714678/.

MLA citation style:

Qa'Im Khan. Insha'. 18th Century. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2019714678/>.