Bahram Gur slaying the wolf-monster; verso: Bahram Gur slaying a dragon from a Shahnama (book of kings) by Firdawsi

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskh script; recto: illustration and text, Bahram Gur slaying the wolf-monster, 6 columns, 31 lines; verso: illustration and text, Bahram Gur slaying a dragon, 6 columns, 31 lines; one of a group of 39: The manuscript (F1930.1) and 38 detached folios (F1929.25-46, F1930.1-9, F1930.11-17, F1940.12, F1940.13) are accessioned separately.
Border: The recto and verso are set in red rulings on cream-colored paper.

Historical period(s)
Il-Khanid dynasty, Mongol period, early 14th century
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, gold and silver on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 10.3 x 11.8 cm (4 1/16 x 4 5/8 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1930.10
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Manuscript folio

Keywords
Bahram Gur, battle, dragon, emperor, epic, Il-Khanid dynasty (1256 - 1353), Iran, Mongol period (1220 - 1380), Shahnama, wolf
Provenance

To 1930
Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962), New York to 1930 [1]

From 1930
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Hagop Kevorkian, New York in 1930 [2]

Notes:

[1] Object file, 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 the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskh script; recto: illustration and text, Bahram Gur slaying the wolf-monster, 6 columns, 31 lines; verso: illustration and text, Bahram Gur slaying a dragon, 6 columns, 31 lines; one of a group of 39: The manuscript (F1930.1) and 38 detached folios (F1929.25-46, F1930.1-9, F1930.11-17, F1940.12, F1940.13) are accessioned separately.
Border: The recto and verso are set in red rulings on cream-colored paper.

Published References
  • Richard Ettinghausen. Studies in Muslim Iconography I: The Unicorn. vol. 1, no. 3 Washington. pp. 39-40, pl. 25.
  • Marianna Shreve Simpson. The Illustration of an Epic: The Earliest Shahnama Manuscripts. Outstanding Dissertations in the Fine Arts New York and London. pp.155, 294, 336, figs. 37, 39.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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