Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; recto: Battle between Zanga and Awkhast; verso: text: Battle of Gurgin and Andariman

Object Details

• Calligrapher

  Salik b. Sa'id

• Patron

  Sultan-Ali Mirza (1478-1504)

• Description

  Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black nasta'liq script; recto: illustration, Battle between Zanga and Awkhast; verso: text, Battle of Gorgin and Andariman, four columns, four lines; one of a group of seven folios.

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

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

  The Shahnama: 1000 Years of the Persian Book of Kings (October 23, 2010 to April 17, 2011)

  In the Realm of Princes: The Arts of the Book in Fifteenth Century Iran and Central Asia (March 19 to August 7, 2005)

  The Heroic Past: The Persian Book of Kings (June 4 to October 29, 2000)

  Timur and the Princely Vision: Persian Art and Culture in the Fifteenth Century (April 16 to July 6, 1989)

  A Jeweler's Eye: Islamic Arts of the Book from the Vever Collection (November 20, 1988 to April 30, 1989)

• Origin

  Gilan, Iran

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler

• 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

  1400s

• Name

  Mirza, Sultan-Ali, Salik b. Sa'id

• Place

  Gilan

• Topic

  Wars, Art, Animals, Turkmen period (1378 - 1508), Aq Qoyunlu dynasty (1378 - 1501), Henri Vever collection, Horses, Arts of the Islamic World, Shahnama, Epic literature

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Object Type

  Manuscripts