| Title: | Allen mss. |
| Collection No.: | LMC 2454 |
| Dates: | 800-1972 |
| Quantity: | Quantity: 150 Items |
| Abstract: | The Allen mss., 800-1972, consists of manuscript pieces collected by William Edward David Allen, 1901-1973, foreign service officer, businessman, and author, and his own writings about Georgian history. |
| Location: | Lilly - Vault 2; Lilly - Vault 1 (No. 7, 10) |
| Language: | English , Russian , Arabic , Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan . |
| Repository: | Lilly Library 1200 E. Seventh St. Bloomington, Indiana 47405-5500 Business Number: 812-855-2452 liblilly@indiana.edu URL: https://libraries.indiana.edu/lilly-library |
William Edward David Allen, 1901-1973, was a foreign service officer, businessman and author, of Waterford, Ireland.
The Allen mss., 800-1972, consists of manuscript pieces collected by William Edward David Allen, 1901-1973, foreign service officer, businessman, and author, of Waterford, Ireland, and his own writings about Georgian history.
Items collected by Allen number 53 and range from a 9th century Kufic Koran fragment, Romanian and Russian charters of the 17th and 19th centuries to the Diary of a Red Cross Sister on the Eastern front in 1915. His own writings include Russian Embassies to the Georgian Kings published in 1969 and are accompanied by the many source materials he used.
Note on Indexing Term - "Art": There are fourteen watercolor caricature portraits, colored drawings on rice paper of Chinese punishments, and three watercolors of military uniforms.
Note on Indexing Term - "World War, 1914-1918": Of interest is the diary of a Red Cross Sister about her field hospital experiences on the Eastern front in Warsaw and during the Great Russian retreat, Jan. 23-Oct. 24, 1915; it is written in Russian.
This collection is arranged following original order.
Access to this collection requires advance notice. Please contact the curator for additional information.
Prior arrangements are not necessary before coming to the Library, however, patrons from out of town are encouraged to communicate with the Library in advance of their visits to ascertain availability of materials.
Photocopying permitted only with permission of the curator.
[Item], Allen mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
Purchase: 1976
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Language: Arabic .
General: It is in early Kūfic script. The chapters' titles are gold, and the beginnings of each Juzʾ (part) and Ḥizb (portion) are indexed in the text and the margins. Contains verses 31-39 and 49-52 from chapter 69, verses 1-24 from chapter 70, verses 5-28 from chapter 72, and verses 1-20 from chapter 73.
If one looks at folio No. 12, one can see that the vellum is cut; however, the text is continued on the vellum sewed to the gathering. Additionally, the ink on the first page of folio 12, compared to the second page, seems newer and might have been written later.
This fragment is very important becuase the calligrapher method of writing is very clear and allows specialists to follow the movment of the writing tool, calligraphy reed pen, Qalam , on the vellum. It also shows that at the time the calligrapher has used a Qalam that had a curved tip.
Language: Arabic .
General: This book is a copy of the Egypt Library's manuscript no.م99. The copyist has written in the first leaf that s/he has copied this from the manuscript mentioned above. It is in black ink, and all titles are in red. The copyist has numbered paragraphs in English and mentioned that each paragraph is a copy of the recto or the verso of a certain leaf from the referred manuscript in the Egypt Library. The copyist left marginal notes in Arabic indicating that he has even copied vacant space in his copy. This copy is a manuscript that a researcher has copied for personal research or study, thus we see penciled notes throughout in German. Probably the copyist is Professor Franz Taeschner, whose seal is above the recto of the first leaf, or he ordered someone to copy that for him. It has catchwords. In the first leaf, one reads: The fifth part on the territory of Turks in Rome (Constantinople) copied from the book: Masālik al-abṣār fī akhbār mulūk al-amṣār. The author is: al-ʿAllāmah Shihāb al-Dīn abī abbās Aḥmad bin Yaḥyā bin Faḍl bin Majlī bin Daʿjān bin Khalaf bin Naṣr bin Manṣūr bin ʿUbayd Allah bin Yaḥyā bin Muḥammad bin Abībakr bin ʿUbayd Allah bin Muslimah bin ʿUbayd Allah bin ʿAbd allah bin ʿUmar al-adwī al-ʿUmarī. He is called Shihāb al-Dīn Aḥmad bin Faḍl Allah al-ʿUmarī(d.1349) too. His book title is "Masālik al-abṣār fī mamālik al-amṣār," however, for any reason, it differs from what the manuscript has recorded. The author has recorded a poem at the end of the book. This poem first comes in the book Tārīkh madīnat Dimashq by ʻAlī ibn al-Ḥasan Ibn ʻAsākir (d. 1176). Because both books are on history and the area they have written about are close to each other, it seems that the second author has used Ibn ʻAsākir's book as a source for his book even though he has not referred to him.
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General: This is a manuscript of Haft Awrang (Seven Thrones) by Mūḥammad ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Jāmī (1414-1492).
It is in Nastaʿlīq script and has been written by different calligraphers. This manuscript has 310 folios.
Silsilat al-Dhahab In the folio No.52 and 75, one can see the two colophons at the end of the first and second parts of the Silsilat al-Dhahab : literally "The Golden Chain," and through this, metaphorically, referring to something that leads one to the Ultimate Goal; In Islamic works this title is given to several things. For example, in Sunnī Islam, it is the title for a book series that have gathered the sayings of the Prophet of Islam. In Shīʿī Islam, it is a saying of the Eight Shīʿah Imām. Jāmī has chosen that as the name of the first part of Haft Awrang , and by this, he means that the parts of this book are the rings of a golden chain that leads followers to the Ultimate Spiritual Goal. The colophon is signed by ʿAbd al-Ḥayy bin ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Muḥammad al-Kātib al-Haravī. The first is dated November 19, 1552, and the second on November 3, 1553. The calligrapher is the son of ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Muḥammad al-Kātib al-Haravī (active in 1503). He is one of the six calligraphers called the "The Six Masters of Calligraphy," namely Sulṭān Muḥammad Khandān, Sulṭan Muḥammad Nūr, ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Muḥammad al-Kātib al-Haravī, Mawlānā Zain al-Dīn Muḥammad Dāmād, Mawlānā ʿAbdī Nayshābūrī, and Muḥammad Qāsim Shādīshāh. They are the disciples of Sulṭān ʿAlī Mashhadī (1453-1520), the great master of Nastaʿlīq script. Thus, the first chapter (in two parts) of this book could be essential for the researchers who study the evolution of Nastaʿlīq script. That being said, the first and second leaves are on different paper than the rest of the chapter, and the handwriting differs. Thus, the first two leaves have been added later. However, the added leaves and their handwriting are quite the same as the papers and handwriting of a portion of Khirad Nāmah-yi Iskandarī from folio 259 to folio 275 of this manuscript. Thus, the book missed these leaves, and someone later tried to solve the issue.
Some of the miniatures in this manuscript could have occurred at the same time as the calligraphy and some could not, and the miniatures are not the same in quality as the calligraphy. What indicates that the calligraphy and miniatures have not occurred concurrently is whether the verse after each miniature is the supposed following verse for what has come before the miniature or if there are omitted verses. If there are omitted verses where a miniature is placed, we should know that the illustrator has painted the miniature over the calligraphy. Thus, the miniatures in folios 32, 41, 56, and 67 could occur simultaneously as the calligraphy. However, the miniature in folio 59 covered the calligraphy there. Thus, it has been added later. It also has less quality compared to the other miniatures.
Laylī va Majnūn The colophon is signed by Salāmat a-Kātib date November 1552. He is unknown as a calligrapher, yet the quality of his Nastaʿlīq is good. There are two miniatures on folios 90 and 117 that could occur at the same time with the calligraphy.
Salāmān va Absāl The colophon on folio 143 does not contain any date. The name of the calligrapher is Maḥmūd bin ʿAlī. The quality of his Nastaʿlīq is good. However, it is less in quality than the other calligraphers we mentioned earlier.
Yūsuf and Zalīkhaʾ The colophon on folio 199 is dated June 18, 1552. This date "پانزدهم جمید الثانی سنة تسع و خمسین و تسعمائه" has been written bilingually, half in Persian and half in Arabic. This method of dating the colophon differs from what we have had in the first chapter with ʿAbd al-Ḥayy bin ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Muḥammad al-Kātib al-Haravī. This calligrapher has dated another colophon in this manuscript in the same way. The name of the calligrapher is Muḥammad Jāvīd bin ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Ḥusaynī. The quality of his Nastaʿlīq is advanced. He is a master, however, not in the caliber that ʿAbd al-Ḥayy bin ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Muḥammad al-Kātib al-Haravī is; moreover, he is unknown as a calligrapher. The colophon's method of writing could suggest that the calligrapher belongs to later centuries; however, the date appeared in a way that shows the manuscript older and more valuable. In this chapter, the miniatures in folios 165, 174, and 181 each have covered 3, 2, and 3 verses. Because these number of verses cannot fill a page, they were located in their pages in a way that could merge into the miniature. However, the illustrator did not follow that suggestion and simply covered the verses with his painting. This fact weakens the guess that these miniatures could not be at the same time as the calligraphy.
Tuḥfat al-Aḥrār The colophon on folio 226 is dated September 6, 1552. This date, "هفتم رمضان المبارک سنة 959" has been written bilingually, half in Persian and half in Arabic. Also, the date has been written in digits rather than letters. This method of dating the colophon differs from what we have had in the first chapter from any other calligraphers in this manuscript. This calligrapher, whose name has not appeared, has a good Nastaʿlīq . His skill is not even close to the advanced skill of the previous calligraphers, and the colophon's method of writing could suggest that the calligrapher belongs to later centuries. However, the date is presented in a way that shows the manuscript is older and more valuable. In this chapter, the miniature in folio 213 has covered two verses; however, these verses do not make the context incomplete there. Namely, they could be considered as those verses that are considered variants in different copies of a work. This raises the possibility of concurrency of the calligraphy and the miniature. The miniature in folio 216 conforms with the calligraphy. Therefore, they could be concurrent. However, immediately after this folio, there are some missed leaves (at least two leaves), and the subtitles here testify to this loss. One can see that the subtitle "the Sixth Article" is followed by the subtitle "the Eleventh Article." The two miniatures of folio 222 and the miniature in folio 224 conform with the text, and there is no omission in verses there; thus, they could be concurrent with the calligraphy.
Silsilat al-Dhahab (The third part) There is no colophon on folio 242 at the end of this chapter. There is no date and no name for the calligrapher. This chapter also does not contain any miniatures. This calligrapher has a good Nastaʿlīq , but it is not even close to the advanced skill of the previous calligraphers.
Khirad Nāmah-yi Iskandarī On folio 275, where this chapter ends, there is no colophon, name, or date. There is a note there in Shikasti-Nastaʿlīq script that belongs to later centuries. Along with the note, there is a date and two seals. However, the date is 1396, when Jāmī, the book's author, was not born yet. From folio 259 to folio 275, papers, hand, and illustration ornaments differ from the rest of the chapter. They are quite the same as the first two leaves of the first chapter. The only miniature of this chapter is on folio 254 before the change in the hand and papers and ornaments. This miniature conforms with the text, and there is no omission in verses there; thus, it could be concurrent with the calligraphy. The hand of the calligrapher before the change is a good quality Nastaʿlīq script close to advanced. However, where the change happens, the quality of the hand yet is good; it is incomparable to what one could see before the change.
Subḥat al-Abrār The colophon on folio 310 is dated August 21, 1553. The calligrapher, again, is Muḥammad Jāvīd bin ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Ḥusaynī, who has written the chapter entitled Yūsuf and Zalīkhaʾ . As it comes before, the quality of his Nastaʿlīq is advanced. He is a master, however, not in the caliber that ʿAbd al-Ḥayy bin ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Muḥammad al-Kātib al-Haravī is. In this chapter, the miniatures are in folios 284, 295, and 309. They conform with the text, and there is no omission in verses; therefore, they could be concurrent with the calligraphy.
Language: Turkish, Ottoman (1500-1928) .
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General: The illumination begins with a crown ( Tāj ) with Khatāʾī foliates. In both sides of the crown are a gilded Du-bandī Khatāʾī foliate that make bādāmak (almond shape) foliates filled in red. After that, a ( si-islīmī ) foliates are repeated on both sides of the scroll to the end.
It is in Naskh script in almost good quality. The calligraper is Muḥammad Amīn Ḥilmī. His name appears twice in the scroll, once in the seal above the scroll on the incipit leather piece and once at the end of the scroll. He is an Ottoman calligrapher. His name appeared in a manuscript of Dalāʼil al-khayrāt wa shawāriq al-anwār fī dhikr al-ṣalāh ʻalá al-nabī al-mukhtār dated 1251 A.H. (1835 C.E.) ( https://openn.library.upenn.edu/Data/0032/html/ms_or_229.html>MS Or 229
There is a gilded Khatībah beneath the crown ( Tāj ). The date written on it has been erased, and therefore the date of the calendar is not certain. A previous cataloger supplied the year 1211 or 1212 A.H. based on two tables at the top of the calendar; however, according to the marginal notes, the year 1211 is only a manual example for calendar users. It is unlikely that the calendar is from either of these years as it recorded the death of Abūbakr and succession of ʿUmar, which is the 19th of Jumādī al-Thānī in the early (first ten days) of Dalv (Aquarius) in the solar calendar. Had the calligrapher Muḥammad Amīn Ḥilmī, who was active in 1251 A.H.(1835 C.E.), copied his calendar, it could have happened most probably on January 29, 1826 C.E. or January 24, 1859 C.E., in which the 19th of Jumādī al-Thānī eclipsed the 9th or 4th of Dalv; unless we consider a long life for him, or we put the authenticity of the signature and the seal in question.
This calendar suggested that marriage is good on the first day of Dalv, January 21, 1826 C.E. or January 21, 1859 C.E. Poultry husbandry is good on the 11th of Dalv, January 31, 1826 C.E. or January 31, 1859 C.E. It also forbids bloodletting therapy on the first day of Jady, December 22, 1825 C.E. or December 22, 1858 C.E. This was a regular traditional medicine that took place at the time in public baths.