Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); The paladin Piran presents the young Khusraw to Afrasiyab

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskhi script; recto: blank; verso: illustration and text: The paladin Piran presents the young Khusraw to Afrasiyab, 6 columns, 29 lines; one of a group of 2 folios.
Border: The text and the painting are set in red, gold, blue, and white rulings on cream-colored paper.

Historical period(s)
Il-Khanid dynasty, early 14th century
Medium
Opaque watercolor, gold and black on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 4.4 x 8.3 cm (1 3/4 x 3 1/4 in)
Geography
Probably Iran
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1940.14
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Manuscript folio

Keywords
Afrasiyab, Il-Khanid dynasty (1256 - 1353), Iran, Khusraw, naskh script, Piran, Shahnama
Provenance

To 1940
Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962), New York to 1940 [1]

From 1940
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Hagop Kevorkian, New York in 1940 [2]

Notes:

[1] Object file. For additional information, see Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List file, Collections Management Office.

[2] See note 1.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Hagop Kevorkian 1872-1962

Description

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskhi script; recto: blank; verso: illustration and text: The paladin Piran presents the young Khusraw to Afrasiyab, 6 columns, 29 lines; one of a group of 2 folios.
Border: The text and the painting are set in red, gold, blue, and white rulings on cream-colored paper.

Published References
  • A Survey of Persian Art from Prehistoric Times to the Present. 15 vols., , Reissue with corrigenda and addenda. London and New York. vol.5, p. 1834.
  • Marianna Shreve Simpson. The Illustration of an Epic: The Earliest Shahnama Manuscripts. Outstanding Dissertations in the Fine Arts New York and London. pp. 91, 102.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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