Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); recto: text; verso: Kay Khusraw installs Luhrasp as king

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black nasta’liq script; recto: text, four columns, twenty-three lines; verso: illustration and text, Kay Khusraw installs Luhrasp as king; one of a group of seven folios.
Border: The text and the painting are set in gold and blue rulings on cream-colored paper.

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Maker(s)
Calligrapher: Salik b. Sa'id
Patron: Sultan-Ali Mirza (1478-1504)
Historical period(s)
Aq Qoyunlu dynasty, Turkmen period, 1493-1494 (899 A.H.)
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 34.7 x 24.3 cm (13 11/16 x 9 9/16 in)
Geography
Iran, Gilan
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S1986.173
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Detached manuscript folio

Keywords
Aq Qoyunlu dynasty (1378 - 1501), epic, Henri Vever collection, Iran, Kay Khusraw, king, Luhrasp, Shahnama, Turkmen period (1378 - 1508)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black nasta'liq script; recto: text, four columns, twenty-three lines; verso: illustration and text, Kay Khusraw installs Luhrasp as king; one of a group of seven folios.
Border: The text and the painting are set in gold and blue rulings on cream-colored paper.

Published References
  • Thomas W. Lentz. Pictures for the Islamic Book: Persian and Indian Painting in the Vever Collection. vol. 1, no. 4 New York, Fall 1988. p. 22.
  • 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. 110, p. 91, 95.
  • Glenn D. Lowry, Susan Nemanzee. A Jeweler's Eye: Islamic Arts of the Book from the Vever Collection. Washington and Seattle. cat. 23, pp. 108-109.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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