Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020)
Terms of Use
Usage Conditions ApplyAt A Glance
-
Period
1621 (1030 A.H.) -
Geography
Iran -
Material
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper -
Dimension
H x W (overall): 34.8 x 20.6 cm (13 11/16 x 8 1/8 in) -
Accession Number
S1986.485 -
EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_S1986.485
Object Details
-
Description
Manuscript; Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; Persian in black nasta'liq script; 633 folios with a double-page frontispiece (fols. 7 verso, and 8 recto), one sarlawh (fol. 8 verso), one dated colophon (fol.633 recto), 44 paintings, and seals (fols. 12 recto, 366 recto, 633 recto/verso); inscriptions (fols. 633 recto/ verso, 635 recto); Muhammad Qasim b. Hajji Muhammad Kashani added a glossary of words (fols. 1-6) to the manuscript in A.H Muharram 1257 (A.D. February 1847); standard page: 4 columns of text.Binding: The manuscript is bound in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century; the binding is of brown leather over paper pasteboards with block-stamped medallions, cornerpieces, and doublures of marbled paper. -
Inscriptions
Fol. 633 recto: The book was finished with the aid of the munificent Lord, in the month of Jumada II in the year [A. H.] 103[0?]. May God forgive the scribe, the parents [?], and the owner; (fol. 633 verso) This book of the Shahnama of Hakim Firdawsi Tusi, God bless him, was written by the order of His Excellency....the noble dignified Asafjah Mwlana Ali...by the hand of the weak, the fearful, hopeful...Lord of the rich Shihab... of the believers, the merciful, the compassionate; (fol. 635 recto) In the presence of...His Highness the owner...I was in the room with a pool [hawzkhana] the night before last that...mentioned that the ending of the Shahnama is pleasant...In the word of the Lord of Kings...Wednesday Jumada...[A. H.] 129[0?]; seals: (fol. 12 recto, square) ... Fath-Ali; (fol. 366 recto, rectangular) the trusting, the hopeful; (fol. 633 recto, oval) seal [of] Fath-Ali, 1[?]56; (fol. 633 verso, square) [illegible]. -
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection -
Origin
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
-
Date
-
Topic
-
Culture
-
Object Type
