Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020)

Object Details

• Description

  Manuscript; Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; Persian in black naskh script, headings in gold naskh outlined in black; 127 bound folios, 40 detached folios with 46 illustrations, and five detached text folios attached to illustration folios (quire) ; seal (folio 10 recto, 127 verso); standard page: 6 columns, 31 lines of text; one of a group of 41: the manuscript (F1930.1) and 40 detached folios (F1929.25-46, F1930.2-17 and F1940.12,13) are accessioned separately.

  Binding: The manuscript is bound in red leather over paper pasteboards. The lower and upper covers both have a border of multiple fillets.

• Provenance

  To 1930

  Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962), New York to 1930 [1]

  From 1930

  Freer Gallery of Art, given by Hagop Kevorkian, New York in 1930 [2]

  Notes:

  [1] Object file, undated folder sheet note. See also Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List file, Collections Management Office.

  [2] See note 1.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  An Epic of Kings: The Great Mongol Shahnama (September 21, 2024 to January 12, 2025)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962)

• Origin

  Iran

• Credit Line

  Gift of H. Kevorkian

• 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

  Kevorkian, Hagop

• Topic

  Art, Arts of the Islamic World, Mongol period (1220 - 1380), Il-Khanid dynasty (1256 - 1353), Shahnama

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Language

  Naskh script

• Object Type

  Manuscripts