Manuscript/Mixed Material Petition to a ruler
About this Item
Title
- Petition to a ruler
Created / Published
- 17th-18th centuries
Headings
- - Calligraphy, Arabic
- - Calligraphy, Persian
- - Manuscripts, Persian--Washington (D.C.)
- - India
- - Pakistan
- - Calligraphy, India
- - Arabic script calligraphy
- - Illuminated Islamic manuscripts
- - Indian ta'liq
- - Islamic calligraphy
- - Islamic manuscripts
Notes
- - A Persian literary compositions (munsha'at) in praise of ruler. Written in Indian ta'liq script.
- - Dimensions of Written Surface: 12.4 (w) x 19.7 (h) cm
- - The composition is executed in black Indian ta'liq script framed by cloud bands on a beige paper. The ink from another calligraphic fragment, formerly contained in the same album of calligraphies, seems to have bled onto this piece. Several lines in reverse writing have stained the central calligraphic panel. The text appears on a background painted in gold ink, is framed by a plain blue border, and is pasted to a pink sheet backed by cardboard.
- - This fragment probably formed part of a collection of literary compositions (munsha'at) showing how to write appropriate praises and petitions to a ruler. Like this piece, a number of these calligraphies appear to have been executed in ta'liq script in India during the 17th and 18th centuries (see 1-85-154.94). Other works of insha' providing exempla of how to compose letters to a friend made in India at this time also are held in the collections of the Library of Congress (see 1-87-154.146a R et seq.).
- - This particular fragment shows how to compose a formal praise (na't or munajat) to a ruler using his many honorific epithets (alqab). A number of laudations of the ruler's power (mulkuhu) and his rulership (sultanuhu) precede the formal request or petition ('ardh or 'arz). In the penultimate diagonal line appears the date of 14 Jumadah I, although no year is specified nor is the piece signed by its calligrapher.
- - Script: Indian ta'liq
- - 1-84-154.4
Medium
- 1 volume ; 19.4 (w) x 28.5 (h) cm
Repository
- Library of Congress African and Middle Eastern Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
Digital Id
Library of Congress Control Number
- 2019714524
Online Format
- image