Gayumarth enthroned in the mountains from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskh script, headings in gold naskh outlined in black; recto: illustration and text, Gayumarth enthroned in the mountains, 6 columns, 31 lines; verso: text, Hushang’s seven hundred year reign; Tahmura’s thirty year reign, 6 columns, 31 lines; one of a group of 41: the manuscript (F1930.1) and 40 detached folios (F1929.25, F1929.26, F1929.28-46, F 1930.2-17 and F1940.12-13) are accessioned separately.
Border: The recto and verso are set in red rulings on cream-colored paper.

Historical period(s)
Mongol period, early 14th century
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, gold and silver on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 30.4 x 21.7 cm (11 15/16 x 8 9/16 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1929.27
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Manuscript folio

Keywords
epic, Gayumarth, Il-Khanid dynasty (1256 - 1353), Iran, lion, Mongol period (1220 - 1380), mountain, Shahnama
Provenance

To 1929
Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962), New York to 1929 [1]

From 1929
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Hagop Kevorkian, New York in 1929 [2]

Notes:

[1] Object file (F1929.25a-b), undated folder sheet note. See also 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 Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskh script, headings in gold naskh outlined in black; recto: illustration and text, Gayumarth enthroned in the mountains, 6 columns, 31 lines; verso: text, Hushang's seven hundred year reign; Tahmura's thirty year reign, 6 columns, 31 lines; one of a group of 41: the manuscript (F1930.1) and 40 detached folios (F1929.25, F1929.26, F1929.28-46, F 1930.2-17 and F1940.12-13) are accessioned separately.
Border: The recto and verso are set in red rulings on cream-colored paper.

Published References
  • Eustache de Lorey. La Peinture Musulmane: L'Ecole de Bagdad. Paris. cat. 9, pp. 20-31, pl. 19.
  • Basil Gray. Persian Painting. Treasures of Asia Geneva. p. 59.
  • Marianna Shreve Simpson. The Illustration of an Epic: The Earliest Shahnama Manuscripts. Outstanding Dissertations in the Fine Arts New York and London. pp.159, 176, 168; see also: pp. 60, 124, 351, fig. 46.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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