Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); The story of Khusraw and the hermit (the old astrologer greets Khusraw Parviz at the door of his hermitage); reverse: illustration and text, Khusraw Parviz's letter to Caesar of Rome

Object Details

• Description

  Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskhi script; obverse: text: The story of Khusraw and the hermit (the old astrologer greets Khusraw Parviz at the door of his hermitage), heading in gold, 6 columns, 30 lines; reverse: illustration and text: Khusraw Parviz's letter to Caesar of Rome, heading in gold, 6 columns, 22 lines; one of a group of 6 folios.

  Border: The text and the painting are set in red, gold, and black rulings; the borders have been removed from the folio.

• Previous custodian or owner

  H. Kahn Monif (died 1968)

• 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.

• Origin

  Iran

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Manuscript

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1300s

• Name

  Monif, H. Kahn

• Topic

  Art, Arts of the Islamic World, Il-Khanid dynasty (1256 - 1353), Khusraw Parviz, Shahnama, Ascetic

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Language

  Naskh script

• Object Type

  Manuscripts