Bahār-i ʻajam, [late 18th or early 19th century?].

Elegant copy of the dictionary of words and idioms used by the Persian poets compiled by Tīk Chand Bahār (d.1766) with added preface.Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center, Isl. Ms. 885Origin: As appears in colophon on p.969 (and at close of باب الف ممدوده on p.978), copied by Mathurādās Khatrī, date not specified ; decoration, paper, etc. would suggest late 18th or early 19th century.Accompanying materials: a. Scrap cut from a Luzac catalog page with description and price for this manuscript "PERSIAN AND HINDUSTANI MSS. 175 Bahar i ʻajam. The well-known Persian dictionary. MS. Folio. Over 1000 pp. Leather binding. The colophon is dated A.H. 1243 ( = A.D. 1827), under the reign of Muhammad Akbar Shâh (II.) £2 10s." (paginated pp.1-2) -- b. Recycled card with handwriting of Emilie Savage-Smith [?] "ʻunwān or illum. frontispiece or heading." (paginated pp.3-4) -- c. Scrap of paper with title in ink "Bahār i ʻAjam." (paginated pp.5-6) -- d. Slip with note "Persian MSS (Heyworth-Dunne?) No Husselman or Meredith-Owens notes" (paginated pp.7-8).Former shelfmark: Mich. Isl. Ms. temp. no. 34Binding: Pasteboards covered in deep red leather ; Western style binding ; pastedowns and flyleaves in untinted wove paper ; upper and lower covers carry delicate gold-tooled border in a rope pattern ; spine stamped "BUHARE | UJUM" ; now sewn in white thread over three cords ; worked chevron endbands in yellow and blue, good condition ; overall in somewhat poor condition with upper cover fully detached, some abrasion, staining, lifting of leather, etc.Support: non-European laid paper with 10 laid lines per cm. (vertical or horizontal, fairly distinct, some curving) and irregular chain lines faintly visible, sturdy, well-burnished, dark cream in color ; flyleaves / added leaves in wove paper.Decoration: Splendid illuminated headpiece (ʻunwān / sarlawḥ) at opening on p.10 consisting of rectangular piece with cartouche (carrying the basmalah) flanked by pendants and delicate swirling floral vegetal decoration in blue, red, orange, and white on a gold ground, surmounted by scalloped w-shaped piece filled with more elaborate swirling floral vegetal decoration in red, orange, white, blue, green, etc. on grounds of gold with blue, green and white accents, itself surmounted by a pendant filled with similar decoration as well as fine vertical stalks (tīgh) in blue, entire piece set into a well consisting of a rather heavy gold band outlined by narrow bands of orange and gold defined by black fillets ; written area throughout surrounded by a gold frame with innermost red rule, and outer red and blue rules, further blue rule defines margin ; keywords and headings rubricated ; overlining or two-teeth abbreviation symbol in red.Script: Nastaʻlīq ; elegant hand in a medium line ; serifless with slight effect of words descending to baseline, elongation of horizontal strokes, pointing (two and three dots) mainly in distinct or conjoined dots.Layout: Written in 21 lines per page ; frame-ruled.Collation: ii, 14 IV(112), III (118), IV+1 (127), 12 IV(223), IV+2 (233), 26 IV(441), II (445), IV+1 (454), 3 IV(478), IV-1 (485), iii ; chiefly quaternions ; lacuna on p.458 marked with "ص" ; p.970 prior to opening of Bāb-i alif-i mamdūdah left blank ; lacks proper catchwords but last word of final line on the verso of each leaf is usually repeated at the beginning of the first line on the following recto ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization (includes inserts).Colophon: "Scribal," reads "الحمد لله والمنة که باتمام رسید منتخب کتاب بهار عجم تالیف استادی مخدومی تیک چند بهار بخط فقیر حقیر اضعف العباد متهراداس قوم کهتری فقط"Incipit: "مهار آفرینی که کلبرک ... دیباچه اصل بهار عجم سپاس و ستایش ایزد متعال را در خور که هريکى ار افراد انسان ..."Title from opening matter (p.11) and colophon (p.978).Ms. codex.Cat. Pers. MSS. Brit. Mus.,Elegant copy of the dictionary of words and idioms used by the Persian poets compiled by Tīk Chand Bahār (d.1766) with added preface.Mode of access: Internet.Acquired from Frank E. Nuttall (1875-1943).Title inscribed in pencil on upper pastedown "Buhare Ajum" ; glosses and occasional marginal corrections