Back to Search

Partial copy of the Book of Kings (Shāhnāma) by Abū al-Qāsim Firdausī (d. 1020)

Title	Partial copy of the Book of Kings (Shāhnāma) by Abū al-Qāsim Firdausī (d. 1020)
Publication Date:	1590-1600
Type	Document
Language	Persian
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	Yes
Physical Dimensions	412 mm x 267 mm x 8 mm (height x width x depth)
Library:	Chester Beatty
Record ID	Per 277
Library Location	Persian collection
Date	1590-1600
Notes	Partial copy of the Book of Kings (Shāhnāma) by Abū al-Qāsim Firdausī (d. 1020). Together with twelve detached folios also in the Chester Beatty collection, this codex forms only part of the original manuscript, produced at the Safavid court in Iran, in the late sixteenth century. The rest of the codex is now lost, including the final folio which would usually include a colophon statement about the patron, calligrapher's name, place of production and date. Nonetheless, the illuminator has signed the elaborate title panel on fol.1v: at the centre of the green border frame is written the name Zayn al-`Abidin al-Tabrizi. This artist was noted in Qadi Ahmad's 1596-1606 record of court calligrapher and painters, as a specialist in gilding, painting and portraiture, who worked in the shah's workshop (kar-khana) all his life. This documentation, and the distinction of the remaining folios as a whole, allow us to fix the manuscript to the reign of Safavid Shah `Abbas I (r.1587-1629), and his early court in Qazvin, c. 1590. Over eighty years later, a different phase of work was done on the same manuscript, with spectacular new paintings added by the court painter Muhammad Zaman in 1675-6. Codex, ink, colours and gold on paper, 10 folios, Persian text in nasta`liq script, with illuminated title heading (sarlawh, fol. 1v) and text rubrics throughout, four paintings (fols. 8r, 10r, 18v, 20r), and gold-painted borders throughout, partial copy of the Book of Kings (Shāhnāma) by Abū al-Qāsim Firdausi (d. 1020), initial sarlawh illumination signed Zayn al-`Abidīn al-Tabrīzī, manuscript attributed to the early reign of Safavid Shah `Abbās I (r.1587-1629), Qazvin or Isfahan, Iran, undated, c. 1590-1600.
Materyal	Paper (material), Ink (material), Pigment (material), Gold, Leather (material)
Nesne Adı	Codex
Müstensih ve Üretim Yeri	Unknown, Qazvin (probably)
Yazı Tipi	Nasta'liq script

View in source Chester Beatty Chester Beatty - Ottoman library catalog search

Chester Beatty

Partial copy of the Book of Kings (Shāhnāma) by Abū al-Qāsim Firdausī (d. 1020)

Publication Date 1590-1600

Type Document

Language Persian

Digital Yes

Manuscript Yes

Physical Dimensions 412 mm x 267 mm x 8 mm (height x width x depth)

Library Chester Beatty

Record ID Per 277

Library Location Persian collection

Date 1590-1600

Notes Partial copy of the Book of Kings (Shāhnāma) by Abū al-Qāsim Firdausī (d. 1020). Together with twelve detached folios also in the Chester Beatty collection, this codex forms only part of the original manuscript, produced at the Safavid court in Iran, in the late sixteenth century. The rest of the codex is now lost, including the final folio which would usually include a colophon statement about the patron, calligrapher's name, place of production and date. Nonetheless, the illuminator has signed the elaborate title panel on fol.1v: at the centre of the green border frame is written the name Zayn al-`Abidin al-Tabrizi. This artist was noted in Qadi Ahmad's 1596-1606 record of court calligrapher and painters, as a specialist in gilding, painting and portraiture, who worked in the shah's workshop (kar-khana) all his life. This documentation, and the distinction of the remaining folios as a whole, allow us to fix the manuscript to the reign of Safavid Shah `Abbas I (r.1587-1629), and his early court in Qazvin, c. 1590. Over eighty years later, a different phase of work was done on the same manuscript, with spectacular new paintings added by the court painter Muhammad Zaman in 1675-6. Codex, ink, colours and gold on paper, 10 folios, Persian text in nasta`liq script, with illuminated title heading (sarlawh, fol. 1v) and text rubrics throughout, four paintings (fols. 8r, 10r, 18v, 20r), and gold-painted borders throughout, partial copy of the Book of Kings (Shāhnāma) by Abū al-Qāsim Firdausi (d. 1020), initial sarlawh illumination signed Zayn al-`Abidīn al-Tabrīzī, manuscript attributed to the early reign of Safavid Shah `Abbās I (r.1587-1629), Qazvin or Isfahan, Iran, undated, c. 1590-1600.

Materyal Paper (material), Ink (material), Pigment (material), Gold, Leather (material)

Nesne Adı Codex

Müstensih ve Üretim Yeri Unknown, Qazvin (probably)

Yazı Tipi Nasta'liq script