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About this Item

Title

  • Insha'

Names

  • Mahabat Khan Khan Zaman

Created / Published

  • 18th century

Headings

  • -  Calligraphy, Arabic
  • -  Manuscripts, Persian--Washington (D.C.)
  • -  Calligraphy, Persian
  • -  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 calligraphers Mahabat Khan & Khan Zaman, in the Indian Nasta'liq script, from Janpur in India in the 18th Cent.
  • -  Dimensions of Written Surface: Recto: 9.1 (w) x 12.9 (h) cm. Dimensions of Written Surface: Verso: 8.5 (w) x 16.8 (h) cm
  • -  The calligraphies are typically written in 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 calligraphic fragment includes a note at the top horizontal stating that the text is written (raqamahu) by Mahabat Khan. In the lower left corner appears a squiggle design. The main text, executed in a very fluid Indian nasta'liq, consists of a letter addressed to the writer's dear friend or brother. He states that he received his letter and that he is well.
  • -  The verso of this page includes a note at the top horizontal stating that the text is written by the "handwriting of" (khatt-i...) Khan Zaman. The main text is addressed to the writer's dear friend or brother (baradar-i mahraban-i man) to confirm receipt of the latter's letter. At the end of his text (which is executed vertically to the right on the main horizontal text), the writer states that he composed his letter on the 24th of Jumadah II (a month in the Islamic lunar calendar) although he does not specify the year.
  • -  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
  • -  1-87-154.146d

Medium

  • 1 volume ; 19 (w) x 30 (h) cm

Repository

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

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2019714653

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:

Mahabat Khan Khan Zaman. Insha'. 18th Century. Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714653/.

APA citation style:

Mahabat Khan Khan Zaman. Insha'. 18th Century. [Manuscript/Mixed Material] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714653/.

MLA citation style:

Mahabat Khan Khan Zaman. Insha'. 18th Century. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2019714653/>.