Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d. 1020); recto: Rustam before Kay Khusraw under the jeweled tree; verso: text

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black nasta’liq script; recto: illustration and text, Rustam before Kay Khusraw under the jeweled tree; verso: text, four columns, twenty-three lines of text; one of a group of seven folios.
Border: The text and the painting are set in gold and black rulings on cream-colored paper.

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Maker(s)
Calligrapher: Salik b. Sa'id
Patron: Sultan-Ali Mirza (1478-1504)
Historical period(s)
Aq Qoyunlu dynasty, Turkmen period, 1493-1494 (899 A.H.)
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 34.9 x 24.6 cm (13 3/4 x 9 11/16 in)
Geography
Iran, Gilan
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1986.159
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Detached manuscript folio

Keywords
Aq Qoyunlu dynasty (1378 - 1501), garden, Henri Vever collection, Iran, Kay Khusraw, oud, Rustam, Shahnama, tambourine, Turkmen period (1378 - 1508), WWII-era provenance
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black nasta'liq script; recto: illustration and text, Rustam before Kay Khusraw under the jeweled tree; verso: text, four columns, twenty-three lines of text; one of a group of seven folios.
Border: The text and the painting are set in gold and black rulings on cream-colored paper.

Label

When Bizhan fails to return to Iran, Kay Khusraw summons Rustam to court and receives him under a jeweled tree. In this painting, the Persian champion is dressed in his habitual tiger skin and seated on a throne next to the king, attesting to his rank and status among the king’s subjects. This illustration is typical of the fifteenth-century metropolitan court style with its emphasis on intricate compositions and subtle color schemes.

Published References
  • The Hague. Catalogus tentoonstelling van islamische kunst. cat. 15, p. 22.
  • Thomas W. Lentz. Pictures for the Islamic Book: Persian and Indian Painting in the Vever Collection. vol. 1, no. 4 New York, Fall 1988. p. 22.
  • Glenn D. Lowry, Milo Cleveland Beach, Elisabeth West FitzHugh, Susan Nemanzee, Janet Snyder. An Annotated and Illustrated Checklist of the Vever Collection. Washington and Seattle. cat. 105, p. 89, 91.
  • Glenn D. Lowry, Susan Nemanzee. A Jeweler's Eye: Islamic Arts of the Book from the Vever Collection. Washington and Seattle. cat. 18, pp. 98-99.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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