Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); recto: text: Kay Kavus fighting with the King of Barbaristan (Barbary), battle of Kay Kavus and the King of Hamaveran; verso: Message of Kay Kavus to the King of Hamaveran: asking for Sudaba’s hand in marriage

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskh script, headings in red; recto: text, Kay Kavus fighting with the King of Barbaristan (Barbary), battle of Kay Kavus and the King of Hamaveran; six columns, thirty-three lines of text; verso: illustration and text, Message of Kay Kavus to the King of Hamaveran: asking for Sudaba’s hand in marriage, six columns, thirty-three lines of text; one of a group of four folios.

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Historical period(s)
Timurid period, late 15th century?
Medium
Ink and opaque watercolor on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 32.3 x 24.8 cm (12 11/16 x 9 3/4 in)
Geography
Iran or India?
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S1986.127
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript, Painting
Type

Detached manuscript folio

Keywords
courtier, epic, Henri Vever collection, Iran, Kay Kavus, Shahnama, Sudaba, Timurid period (1378 - 1506)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskh script, headings in red; recto: text, Kay Kavus fighting with the King of Barbaristan (Barbary), battle of Kay Kavus and the King of Hamaveran; six columns, thirty-three lines of text; verso: illustration and text, Message of Kay Kavus to the King of Hamaveran: asking for Sudaba's hand in marriage, six columns, thirty-three lines of text; one of a group of four folios.

Published References
  • B. W. Robinson. Fifteenth-Century Persian Painting: Problems and Issues. Hagop Kevorkian Series on Near Eastern Art and Civilization New York. p. 57.
  • Glenn D. Lowry, Milo Cleveland Beach, Elisabeth West FitzHugh, Susan Nemanzee, Janet Snyder. An Annotated and Illustrated Checklist of the Vever Collection. Washington and Seattle. cat. 88, p. 79.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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