Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); recto: text, The departure of Ka'us and Kai Khusraw to the fire temple; verso: Shah Ka'us and Kay Khusraw approach the sacred fire

Object Details

• Description

  Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black nasta'liq script; recto: text: The departure of Ka'us and Kai Khusraw to the fire temple, 4 columns, 21 lines; verso: Illustration and text: Shah Ka'us and Kay Khusraw approach the sacred fire, 4 columns,10 lines.

  Border: The text and the painting are set in gold and black rulings on cream-colored paper.

• Label

  By the latter part of the fifteenth century, the once-powerful Timurid empire was confined to the eastern frontier. Much of the central and western regions were controlled by a confederation of Turkmans. Although plagued by continuous political and military conflict, Turkman rulers, like their Timurid counterparts, actively supported the arts of the book as a means to bolster their dynastic reputation.

  This illustrated folio is from a Turkman copy of the Shahnama and represents the Persian rulers Kay-Kavus and Kay-Khusraw visiting the sacred fire, a central symbol of Zoroasterism, the ancient religion of Iran. Drawing on local artistic traditions as well as Timurid aesthetic cannon, Turkman painters favored brightly colored and relatively simple compositions.

• Provenance

  ?-1940

  Heeramaneck Galleries, New York, method of acquisition unknown [1]

  From 1940

  National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, purchased from Heeramaneck Galleries, New York [2]

  Notes:

  [1] See object file for copy of Freer Gallery of Art vault record, dated June 25, 1940, acknowledging the object was delivered by Heeramaneck Galleries to the Freer for examination.

  Heeramaneck Galleries in New York, NY owned and operated by Nasli M. (1902-1971) and Alice N. Heeramaneck (née Arvine) (1910-1993). The Heeramaneck’s were dealers and collectors of Pre-Columbian and Asian art. Nasli Heeramaneck began his career as a dealer in Paris during the 1920s and relocated to New York, NY in 1927. In 1939, Nasli married Alice Arvine, an American portrait painter from New Haven, CT. Nasli founded Heeramaneck Galleries in New York, NY by 1928. He began to retire in 1964 and liquidated some of the gallery’s stock at auction at Parke-Barnet, New York in 1964 and 1965. Many objects from the Heeramaneck collection were either purchased or donated to American museums. Items from their collection may be found in The British Museum; the Cleveland Museum of Art; Los Angeles County Museum; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; National Museum of New Delhi; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; and Yale University.

  [2] See object file for copy of Heeramaneck Galleries invoice to the Freer Gallery of Art, dated July 23, 1940, and approved by the Acting Secretary on July 22, 1940. This work is part of the Museum’s Freer Gallery of Art Collection.

  Research updated February 8, 2024

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Engaging the Senses (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016)

  Near Eastern Ceramics (May 14, 1981 to May 10, 1985)

  Art of the Near East (August 21, 1977 to December 14, 1979)

  Near Eastern Art (June 15, 1973 to May 7, 1975)

  2500 Years of Persian Art—Paintings, Pottery (February 10, 1972 to June 15, 1973)

  Near Eastern Art—Paintings, Pottery (August 18, 1967 to February 10, 1972)

  Persian Art (January 1, 1963 to September 3, 1963)

  Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 6 and 7 (February 25, 1956 to April 10, 1962)

  Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Manuscripts, Pottery, Metalwork, and Glass (April 12, 1955 to November 21, 1955)

  Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Arts, 1947 (October 6, 1947 to February 25, 1956)

  Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Manuscripts (May 1, 1945 to September 25, 1947)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Heeramaneck Galleries (active 1928-1964)

• Origin

  Shiraz, Iran

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Manuscript

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1400s

• Name

  Heeramaneck Galleries

• Place

  Shiraz

• Topic

  Art, Animals, Turkmen period (1378 - 1508), Temple, Kay Khusraw, Fire, Horses, Arts of the Islamic World, Kay Kavus, Shahnama, Epic literature

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Language

  Nasta?li-q script

• Object Type

  Manuscripts