Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); recto: text, Manija takes Bijan to her chamber in Afrasiyab’s palace, Afrasiyab learns of Bijan’s presence; verso: Piran stays the execution of Bijan at the very foot of the gibbet

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskhi script; recto: text: Manija takes Bijan to her chamber in Afrasiyab’s palace, Afrasiyab learns of Bijan’s presence, 6 columns, 29 lines; verso: illustration and text: Piran stays the execution of Bijan at the very foot of the gibbet, 6 columns, 19 lines; one of a group of 6 folios.
Border: The text and the painting are set in red, green, gold, and blue rulings on cream-colored paper.

Historical period(s)
Il-Khanid dynasty, 1300-1350
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 26.4 x 18.4 cm (10 3/8 x 7 1/4 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1945.26.1
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Manuscript folio

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

To 1945
H. Kahn Monif (died 1968), Persian Antique Gallery, New York, NY, to 1945 [1]

From 1945
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from H. Kahn Monif in 1945

Notes:

[1] Undated folder sheet note. For additional information, see Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920, Collections Management Office.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

H. Kahn Monif died 1968

Description

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskhi script; recto: text: Manija takes Bijan to her chamber in Afrasiyab’s palace, Afrasiyab learns of Bijan's presence, 6 columns, 29 lines; verso: illustration and text: Piran stays the execution of Bijan at the very foot of the gibbet, 6 columns, 19 lines; one of a group of 6 folios.
Border: The text and the painting are set in red, green, gold, and blue rulings on cream-colored paper.

Published References
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Exhibition of 2500 Years of Persian Art. Exh. cat. Washington, 1971. cat. 12, pp. 4-5.
  • Marianna Shreve Simpson. The Illustration of an Epic: The Earliest Shahnama Manuscripts. Outstanding Dissertations in the Fine Arts New York and London. pp. 108, 280, 294, 296, 305, fig. 18.
  • Abolqasem Ferdowsi. The Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings. New York. pp. 311-318.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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