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About this Item

Title

  • Insha'

Names

  • Khan Zaman

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

  • -  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: 9 (w) x 15 (h) cm. Dimensions of Written Surface: Verso: 7.5 (w) x 18 (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 fragment bears the attribution to Khan Zaman at the top (khatt-i Khan Zaman). In the lower horizontal frame appears a fragment of a seal impression in which the following names can be deciphered: Muhammad bin... Shah Ghazi...Khan Fadavi. The composition on the white paper consists of a letter addressed to the writer's dear friend or brother (baradar-i mihraban-i man), in which he acknowledges receipt of the latter's letter. The writer then states that he and his family are well, but he is disappointed that his friend cannot join them. For this reason, he requests that his friend/brother send an agent (vakil) in his stead.
  • -  The verso of this piece has suffered heavy water damage. At the top, however, one can still read the attribution to Khan Zaman (khatt-i Khan Zaman). In the lower horizontal, there is a squiggle design and a pasted white piece of paper. The composition in the center resembles the letter on the fragment's recto (1-84-154.53 R). The author addresses his dear friend/brother (baradar-i mihraban-i man) to tell him that he misses him and wishes to see him again. Since he cannot come, the writer requests that he get a proxy or deputy (vakalat) to carry out an action that is not specified here.
  • -  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
  • -  1-84-154.53

Medium

  • 1 volume ; 18.6 (w) x 29.8 (h) cm

Repository

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

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2019714602

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:

Khan Zaman. Insha'. 18th Century. Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714602/.

APA citation style:

Khan Zaman. Insha'. 18th Century. [Manuscript/Mixed Material] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714602/.

MLA citation style:

Khan Zaman. Insha'. 18th Century. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2019714602/>.