Summary:
Elegant copy of what appears to be a collection of letters compiled by Atıf Mehmet Emin Efendi (d.1771) mainly while he served as secretary (mektupçu / مكتوبجى) for şeyhülislam Dürri Mehmet Efendi (d.1736) during the early part of the reign of Mahmut I (r.1730-1754), compare Isl. Ms. 856. Followed (in a later addition) by Hikaye-yi garibe.
Subject(s):
Letter writing, Turkish--18th century.
Manuscripts, Turkish--Michigan--Ann Arbor.
Dürri Mehmet Efendi,--d. 1736--Correspondence.
Turkey--History--Mahmud I, 1730-1754--Sources.
Turkish prose literature--Early works to 1800.
Incipit:
[Münşeat] "كوكب درى سپهر علم وكمال خورشيد منير فلك عز وجلال مفتى الانام شيخ مشايخ الاسلام مرحوم ومغفور له درى محمد افندى حضرتلرينك ... انتظام احوال مكه مكرمه خبرينى متضمن شريف حضرتلرى طرفندن وارد اولان مكتوبك جوابنامه سيدر سلام المنان السبحانى المتلو بلسان سبحانى الذى تطمئن بذكره القلوب وتنزل من حضرات الغيوب ..." ; [Hikaye-yi garibe] "تاب اوران مرايى فهم وعقول وپرایه بندان غوانى روايات ونقول ..."
Contents:
1. p.4-p.125 : Münşeat-i Atıf Efendi / Atıf Mehmet Emin Efendi.
2. p.126-p.129 : [originally left blank].
3. p.130-p.166 : [Hikaye-yi garibe].
4. p.167-p.190 : [blank].
Physical Details:
Collation:
i, 6 V(60), V+1 (71), IV (79), III (85), IV+1 (94), i ; chiefly quinions ; final leaves left blank (pp.167-190) ; catchwords present ; lacunae (typically the space of a single line) left between sections of opening work, likely for rubricated headings ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization (includes flyleaves).
Script:
Nastaʻlīq (talik) ; two elegant Ottoman hands ; opening work (through p.125) a large, clear hand in a medium line, serifless with slight effect of words descending to baseline, some elongation and thickening of horizontal strokes, many open counters, pointing mainly in conjoined dots or strokes, bowl of final nūn wide with point set down within ; second work (pp.130-166) in a compact, delicate hand in a fine line, serifless with very slight effect of words descending to baseline, elongation of horizontal strokes, pointing mainly in conjoined dots or strokes, bowl of final nūn wide with point set down within.
Decoration:
Exquisite illuminated headpiece (ʻunwān / sarlawḥ) at opening on p.4 consisting of rectangular piece with empty gold cartouche flanked by delicate floral designs on fields of gold and dark blue, surmounted by a w-shaped piece overlaid with similar swirling floral designs in light blue, pink, orange, gold, etc. on grounds of gold and dark blue / cobalt, itself surmounted by vertical stalks in dark blue with gold and red accents, all set in a well of heavy gold and black interlace with outermost pink band ; written area of opening work surrounded by a heavy gold frame defined by black fillets ; headings and some keywords rubricated ; textual dividers mainly in the form of inverted commas in red, though two exquisitely executed rosettes appear on incipit page (p.4).
Support:
non-European (likely Persian) laid paper of perhaps several types ; mainly with 8-9 laid lines per cm. (horizontal or vertical, curving, somewhat indistinct) and no chain lines plainly visible, cloudy formation, thin and trasluscent, well-sized and burnished ; another type with roughly 7 laid lines per cm. and chain lines in pairs (see p.186, etc.) ; some staining ; bifolium in each quire silver-flecked (see pp.85-86, 99-100, etc.).
Binding:
Pasteboards (both now almost entirely delaminated) covered in dark red leather ; Type II binding (with flap, though now lost) ; doublures in dark brown leather, hinges and flyleaves in fine marbled paper (in red, dark blue, light blue-green), flyleaves gold-flecked ; upper and lower covers carry large stamped and gold-painted mandorla (filled with vegetal composition, compare Déroche class. OAi) and pendants accented with gold-painted strokes, as well as gold-painted and tooled borders in rows of s-shaped stamps defined by gold fillets ; sewn in dark blue thread, two stations ; worked chevron endbands in pink and yellow, damaged with headband virtually gone, tailband detaching ; overall in poor condition with boards delaminated to individual leaves, flap lost, cover detached from text block at spine, abrasion, lifting and losses of leather (upper cover, exposing boards, and spine in particular), staining, etc.
Origin:
Lacks dated colophon though decoration, hand, etc. would suggest 18th century and date of composition, author's dates and dated seal impressions [including one possibly for the author] would suggest mid to late 18th century. Hikaye-yi garibe likely added later.
Ownership and History:
Former owners' marks on 'title page' (p.3) include shahādah, ownership statement and oval seal impression (seemingly dated 1156 [1743 or 4]) in name of Mehmet Emin Atıf ( محمد امين عاطف ) [the author?], as well as ownership statement and oval seal impression (seemingly dated either 1159 [1746 or 7] or 1199 [1784 or 5]) in name of İbrahim Ethem ( ابرهيم ادهم ), another large oval seal impression and an effaced statement and seal impression ; on p.127, birth notice for Mehmet Ali ( محمد على ) dated 15 Muḥarram 1222 [March 1807] and signed Mehmet Salih Ağa ( محمد صالح اغا ) ; occasional glosses in second work.
Former Owner(s):
07 Mehmet Emin Atıf, fl. 1743, former owner. 08 İbrahim Ethem, fl. 18th cent., former owner. 09 Mehmet Salih Ağa, fl. 1807, former owner. Abdülhamid II, Sultan of the Turks, 1842-1918, former owner. 07 محمد امين عاطف، مالك سابق. 08 ابراهيم ادهم، مالك سابق. 09 محمد صالح اغا، مالك سابق.
References:
Roemer, H.R. "Inshāʾ (inshā)." In EI2,vol. III, p.1241, col. 2İz, Fahīr. "ḎH̲ihnī, Bayburtlu." In EI2,vol.II, p.223, col.2
Posted by evyn on October 27, 2010
Tags: Abdul Hamid Collection, Fully Catalogued, Turkish MSS
Comments on specific paragraphs:
Click the
icon to the right of a paragraph
Comments on the page as a whole:
Click the
icon to the right of the page title (works the same as paragraphs)