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The Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdausi (d. 1020)

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At A Glance

Period

early 17th century
Geography

Iran
Material

Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimension

H x W (overall): 38.1 x 21.2 cm (15 x 8 3/8 in)
Accession Number

F1907.279
EDAN ID

edanmdm:fsg_F1907.279

Object Details

Description

Manuscript; Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; Persian in black nasta'liq script; headings in white; 540 folios with illuminated double frontispiece (fols. 1 verso, 2 recto, and 2 verso, 3 recto), 2 sarlawh (fols. 3, 9 verso), 30 paintings, 1 dated colophon (folio 539 recto), and a finispiece (fols. 539 verso, 540 recto); seals (folio1 recto); inscription (folio 1 recto); standard page: 4 columns, 22 lines of text.

Binding: The manuscript is bound in red-brown leather over paper pasteboards with blind tooling and a border of geometric motifs. The doublures are of marbled paper with a James Caulfield Coat of Arms.
Marks

Binding, bookplate (approximately 3 inches long x 4 inches high) centered on the inside front cover of the manuscript with the Irish heraldic crest of the Caulfeild family with James Caulfeild’s Order of Bath decoration underneath. The crest’s text reads “DEO DUCE FERRO COMITANTE”. Below the decoration is “James Caulfeild.” in script.

Binding, front cover of the manuscript, small (less than 1 square inch) green binder sticker in the upper right corner, which reads “Bound by / R. M AC CULLO** [unintelligible] / No.145 Mirzapore / CALCUTTA”. The sticker has a triple black border and a decorative leaf pattern in all four corners.

Binding, front cover of the manuscript, small (less than 1 square inch) green binder sticker in the upper right corner, which reads “Bound by / R. M AC CULLO** [unintelligible] / No.145 Mirzapore / CALCUTTA”. The sticker has a triple black border and a decorative leaf pattern in all four corners.
Inscriptions

Folio 1 recto: uragh panjhezar va si va nuh [?] musavvar si va se, chand ruz be 'ariyat bamast.

"Number of pages five thousand and thirty-nine [?] paintings thirty-three, it is borrowed for a few days."

Shahnama-i musavvar pishkesh Mirza Shah Sahib Adilshah rozi ke Nawab Suleyman be manzel Amir Muhammad Mo'men rafte bodand nemudand. Betarikh dovum Shahr Shaval sene [1?17].

"Illustrated Shahnama, gift of Mirza Shah Sahib Adilshah, the day when Nawab Suleyman went to the house of Amir Muhammad Mo'men; 2, Shaval [1?17]."

Seal of Sultan Muhammad Gotb Shah.

Colophon 539 recto: Tamat al-ketab-i Shahnama Hakim Ferdowsi be tarikh [?] shahr Sha'ban sene [?].

Colophon 539 recto: Tamat al-ketab-i Shahnama Hakim Ferdowsi be tarikh [?] shahr Sha'ban sene [?].
Provenance

?

James Caulfeild (1782-1852), method of acquisition unknown [1]

? - 1907

Colonel Henry Bathurst Hanna (1839-1914), method of acquisition unknown [2]

1907 - 1919

Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Colonel Henry Bathurst Hanna [3]

From 1920

Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]

Notes:

[1] See the manuscript’s bookplate, which depicts the Irish heraldic crest of the Caulfeild family with James Caulfeild’s Order of Bath decoration underneath. Below the crest is “James Caulfeild” in script.

Lieutenant-General James Caulfeild was an Irish British soldier in the Army and a political officer in early 19th century British India. He first served in India 1799-1805, and, after an extended sick leave, 1807-1812, Caulfeild returned to India 1812-1841 in various military and administrative appointments with the East India Company. Sometime after 1819, Caulfeild transferred to work in the East India Company’s Political Service, with appointments in Haraoti, Mysore, and Lucknow. In 1831, he was awarded Companion of the Order of the Bath by the British Crown. In 1841, Caulfeild returned to England. By 1851, Caulfield was promoted to Lieutenant-General and also served as Director of the East India Company, 1848-1851. He ran for Abingdon’s Parliamentary seat unsuccessfully in 1845 and 1847 before succeeding in 1852, just a few months before his death.

[2] Colonel Henry Bathurst Hanna (1839-1914) was an officer in the British military and a collector of Indian paintings. Born in Petersfield, Hampshire, England, Hanna’s family later moved to London, where he was baptized in 1851. Beginning in 1857, Hanna served as a commissioned officer in the Indian Army and retired with the rank of Colonel in 1889. After his retirement, he resided in London and Petersfield with his younger sisters. According to Hanna, he began collecting Indian paintings around the time of the Indian Rebellion (1857-1859). See letter from Henry Bathurst Hanna to Charles Lang Freer, dated April 10, 1908 [sic, 1907], p. 3, Box 17, Folder No. 10, Charles Lang Freer Papers, National Museum of Asian Art Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

[3] See the Charles Lang Freer art voucher no. 24, “For a collection of Indo-Persian pictures and manuscripts” from H. B. Hanna of Heathmere, Petersfield, Hants. [Hampshire], England, from October 1907, Box 114, Folder No. 12, Charles Lang Freer Papers, National Museum of Asian Art Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., copy in object file.

[4] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Research updated April 19, 2024
Collection

Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History

Near Eastern Art (June 15, 1973 to May 7, 1975)
Previous custodian or owner

Lieutenant-General James Caulfeild (1782 - 1852)

Colonel Henry Bathurst Hanna (1839-1914) (C.L. Freer source)

Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
Origin

Iran
Credit Line

Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Type

Manuscript
Restrictions and Rights

Usage Conditions Apply

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