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

Object Details

• Calligrapher

  Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Husayni (known as) Mawsili

• 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.

• 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.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Engaging the Senses (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  Special Exhibition of Persian Art (May 1, 1960 to August 11, 1961)

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

  Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Manuscripts, 1955 (April 12, 1955 to December 16, 1955)

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

• Previous custodian or owner

  Dikran G. Kelekian, Inc.

• Origin

  Shiraz, 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.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1300s

• Name

  Dikran G. Kelekian, Inc.

• Place

  Shiraz

• Topic

  Art, Gushtasp, Inju dynasty (1335 - 1357), Arts of the Islamic World, Mongol period (1220 - 1380), Dragon, Shahnama

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Object Type

  Manuscripts