al-Niṣf al-awwal min Kitāb al-Jāmiʻ al-Ṣaḥīḥ, [early to mid 18th century?].

Fine, large-format copy of the first half of the Ṣaḥīḥ, al-Bukhārī's celebrated collection of traditions.Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center, Isl. Ms. 17Origin: As appears in colophon on fol.444a (p.909) copied by ʻAlī bin ʻAlī al-Kutubī. Date of transcription not specified. Paper may suggest early to mid 18th century. Compare D-Dl Mus.3154-D-1 and D-Dl Mus.3154-D-5, autographs of Antonio Duni dated 1744 and 1746 (cf Répertoire International of the Sources Musicales = RISM and CatChiesa 1765) and consider A 3 marks in Velkov and Andreev, Filigranes dans les documents ottomans. I Trois croissants (p.62).Accompanying materials: Several slips and scraps with excerpts, glosses, pen trials, etc. numbered by paginator (pp.39-40, pp.125-126, pp.391-392, pp.545-546, pp.663-664, pp.679-680, pp.715-716, pp.771-772, pp.819-820).Former shelfmark: British Museum, London "No. 51. Sahih of Bukhari, vol.i."Binding: Pasteboards covered in tan brown leather (goat) ; Type II binding (with flap) though more of a wrapper ; doublures, flap lining, and spine lining in a fine illuminated block-stamped pattern, grid of squares with small rosette and vegetal designs in alternating squares ; upper and lower covers bear blind-stamped, scalloped mandorla with vegetal decoration (compare Déroche class. OAi 4) and pendants, blind-stamped scalloped lozenges with vegetal decoration (compare Déroche class. OSd 5) as corner pieces accompanied by pendant accents, and gold-painted roll border consisting of a series of s-shaped stamps ; composed of loose quires, not affixed to one another or to cover (wrapper), each quire individually sewn in yellow, rose or red thread, four stations ; in fair condition with some abrasion, staining, lifting of leather, etc.Support: European laid paper with 7-8 laid lines per cm. (horizontal), chain lines spaced 28 mm. apart (vertical), and watermark of three crescents / tre lune (perpendicular to chains, 78 mm long, see p.1, 12, 134, etc) with countermark "A F 3" (or "A F Z") under trefoil with F slightly raised (see p.6, 8, 136, etc) ; fairly thick and well-burninshed ; first leaf fully detached.Decoration: Fine illuminated headpiece (ʻunwān / sarlawḥ) on fol.1b (p.1) consisting of rectangular piece surmounted by semi-circular piece (dome) ; rectangular piece carries empty gold cartouche flanked by floral vegetal accents in gold, red, and green on fields of blue ; semi-circular piece is filled with floral vegetal pattern in gold, white, light blue, pink, yellow and red on fields of blue and green, bordered in gold, green, and red and surmounted by vertical stalks (tīgh) in blue with red accents ; entire headpiece is set in a well of interlace in black and white ; written area of incipit and facing page bordered in frame consisting of alternating gold bands and red, green, and gold fillets ; elsewhere throughout written area is surrounded by rule-border consisting of red and blue fillets ; occasional textual dividers in the form of red inverted commas ; text rubricated with keywords ("حدثنا", "باب", etc.), section headings, overlining, etc. in red.Script: Naskh ; clear Egyptian or Ḥijāzī hand [?] hand ; virtually serifless with effect of slight tilt to the left, pointing in distinct dots quiteliberally spaced, hamzah at midline or seated at baseline rather than seated on alif, elongation of horizontal strokes, descenders somewhat flattened, extensively vocalized.Layout: Written in 25 lines per page ; frame-ruled.Collation: 44 V (440), III (446) ; chiefly quinions ; final two leaves left blank ; catchwords present ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization (includes inserts and skips from p.175 to 178 and from 303 to 306).Colophon: "Scribal," rectangular, reads: "اخر النصف الاول من كتاب الجامع الصحيح تصيف ابي عبد الله محمد بن اسماعيل البخاري ويتلوه اول النصف الثاني مناقب عبد الله ابن مسعود على يد افقر العباد الى عفو ربه الفقير علي بن المرحوم علي الكتبي عفي عنهما بمنه وكرمه وحسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل وصلى الله على محمد واله وصحبه اجمعين تم"Explicit: "مناقب سالم مولى ابي حذيفة حدثنا سليمان بن حرب ... استقرئوا القرآن من اربعة من عبد الله بن مسعود فبدأ به وسالم مولى ابي حذيفة وابي بن كعب ومعاذ بن جبل قال ولا ادري بدأ بابي اوبمعاذ"Incipit: "باب كيف كان يبدو الوحي الى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ..."Title from colophon on fol.444a (p.909).Ms. codex.Velkov, Asparoukh and Stephane Andreev. Filigranes dans les documents ottomans. I Trois croissants [= Водни знаци в Османотурските документи. I Три луни] (Sofia: Bibliotheque Nationale "Cyrille et Methode" Comission Archeographique Bulgare Section Orientale, 1983),Fine, large-format copy of the first half of the Ṣaḥīḥ, al-Bukhārī's celebrated collection of traditions.Mode of access: Internet.Acquired by purchase along with Abdul Hamid Collection (funds donated by Horace Rackham).Bookplate of British Museum, London on inner front cover,"British Museum, London. No. 51. Sahih of Bukhari, vol.i." ; circular seal impression with figure of goat/gazelle in purple ink as well as inscription "235" in Western numerals on 'title page' fol.1a (p.1) ; also on 'title page' fol.1a (p.1), ownership statement dated 1219 [1804 or 5] in name of al-Sayyid Ibrāhīm Bāshā ibn al-Sayyid Ismāʻīl Aghā ibn al-Shaykh al-Ḥājj Yūsuf Afandī (Seyit İbrahim Paşa b. Seyit İsmail Ağa b. Şeyh Yusuf Efendi) accompanied by oval seal impression on fol.1a (p.1), statement reads "من تمليكات اضعف العباد السيد ابراهيم باشا بن السيد اسماعيل اغا بن الشيخ الحاج يوسف افندى قدس الله سره سنة ۱۲١٩", inscription in seal only partially legible ; numerous glosses and some marginal corrections ; collation statement on fol.11a (p.21) reads "بلغ مقابلة على نسخة صحيحة جدا"