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Page from a Shah-nama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (Persian, about 934-1020)
Mir Musavvir1520–40
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
Begun at the end of the reign of Shah Ismail (reigned 1501–24), first king of the Safavid dynasty of Iran, this copy of the Shah-nama (Book of Kings) was completed during the reign of his son Shah Tahmasp. Unparalleled in scope and refinement, the book included 259 paintings by master artists in the royal workshop. Two calligraphers copied the text in an elegant, flowing nasta‘liq script. In 1568, Shah Tahmasp gave this book as a gift to the Ottoman sultan Selim II of Turkey.
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Details
- Title: Page from a Shah-nama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (Persian, about 934-1020)
- Creator: Mir Musavvir (Iranian, c. 1510-1555)
- Date Created: 1520–40
- Physical Dimensions: Sheet: 47.5 x 32.2 cm (18 11/16 x 12 11/16 in.); Text area: 28.4 x 18.5 cm (11 3/16 x 7 5/16 in.)
- Provenance: Shah Tahmasp شاه تهماسب یکم [1514-1576], Iran, given to Ottoman Sultan Selim II, Ottoman Sultan Selim II [1524-1574], Istanbul, Ottoman Empire, Topkapı Palace library, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire, Baron Edmond de Rothschild [1845–1934], Boulogne-Billancourt, France, Arthur A. Houghton, Jr. [1906-1990], The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Type: Manuscript
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1988.96.b
- Medium: opaque watercolor, ink, gold, and silver on paper
- Inscriptions: Script: Nasta'liq
- Fun Fact: The 50,000 rhyming couplets of the <em>Shahnama</em> tell the story of ancient kings of Iran.
- Department: Islamic Art
- Culture: Iran, Tabriz, Safavid Period, 16th century
- Credit Line: Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
- Collection: Islamic Art
- Accession Number: 1988.96.b
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