Firdawsi's "Shahnama": finispiece
Persian, Safavid, 1562–83 
Shiraz, Iran 
Dimensions 
47.5 x 33 cm 
Medium or Technique 
Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper 
Classification 
Books and manuscripts Type 
Painted page from a manuscript 

Left side of a illustrated and illuminated finispiece added in 1583 to a manuscript originally written in Shiraz in 1562 by Arraji Muhammad al-Qawam. The finispiece contains a double page painting of a king and army entering a city (perhaps Murad III) and a double page illumination with poetry inscribed by Taj al-Din Haydar. It may have been intended as a gift for the Ottoman sultan.

Signed
Muhammad al-Qiwam of Shiraz and Taj al-Din Haydar

 — with Ira Lavrinenko.

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