A description of the seals, flags, standards, inscriptions, etc., used by and under Tipu Sultan [RAS Persian 171]

A description of the seals, flags, standards, inscriptions, etc., used by and under Tipu Sultan (RAS Persian 171) Shikastah. Fol. Size, 9 by 7 ins. Incipit: Al-hamdu lillahi rabb al-'alamain wal-salat wal-salam 'ala rasulihi Folio one, recto: impression of rectangular seal: Tipu Sultan 3221. Written minutely in the corners: mau /lu / d Muhammad. (A description and a drawing of this seal, the personal one of Tipu, is given on f3a.) F3b: Tipu's paraph (dastkhatt) for opening letters written boldly in sepia, in a kind of ta'liq: Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim. His paraph for closing letters, a rebus, similarly in sepia ink (undeciphered). The initial basmallah of this MS is written in this hand, presumably that of Tipu, and his closing paraph stands at the end of each section. Evidently he had checked the work closely. (Cf. earlier with the same seal and sepia paraphs.) Brown leather binding with blind-tooled and stamped decoration. At top and bottom of the front cover, small cartouche-shaped stamp inscribed: Sarkar-i khudadadi. References: Storey, i, p. 772. No other copy in the main English catalogues.