Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); verso: Gushtasp kills the dragon; recto: text: Ahran asks Qaesar for his daughter’s hand, Miran puts Ahran in touch with Gushtasp

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskh script; headings in red and black; recto: text, Ahran asks Qaesar for his daughter’s hand, Miran puts Ahran in touch with Gushtasp, 6 columns, 30 lines; verso: illustration and text, Gushtasp kills the dragon, seal, 6 columns, 22 lines, one of a group of 7 folios.
Border: The text and the painting are set in red and gold rulings on cream-colored paper.

Maker(s)
Calligrapher: Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Husayni (known as) Mawsili
Historical period(s)
Inju dynasty, Mongol period, February 1341 (Ramadan 741 A.H.)
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 36.8 x 30 cm (14 1/2 x 11 13/16 in)
Geography
Iran, Shiraz
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1948.15
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Manuscript folio

Keywords
dragon, Gushtasp, Inju dynasty (1335 - 1357), Iran, Mongol period (1220 - 1380), Shahnama
Provenance

To 1948
Dikran G. Kelekian, Inc., New York to 1948 [1]

From 1948
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Dikran G. Kelekian, Inc., New York in 1948 [2]

Notes:

[1] See Freer Gallery or Art Purchase List after 1920, Collections Management Office.

[2] See note 1.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Dikran G. Kelekian, Inc.

Description

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskh script; headings in red and black; recto: text, Ahran asks Qaesar for his daughter’s hand, Miran puts Ahran in touch with Gushtasp, 6 columns, 30 lines; verso: illustration and text, Gushtasp kills the dragon, seal, 6 columns, 22 lines, one of a group of 7 folios.
Border: The text and the painting are set in red and gold rulings on cream-colored paper.

Published References
  • , Eva Baer, David Nicolle, Barbara Schmitz, Oliver Watson. The Art of the Saljuqs in Iran and Anatolia. Costa Mesa, California. fig. 157.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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