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Book of Kings (Shahnama)
(Manuscripts and Rare Books, Islamic World , Islamic Manuscripts)
Walters manuscript W.600 is an illuminated and illustrated Safavid copy of the Book of kings (Shahnamah) by Firdawsi (died 411 or 416 AH/AD 1020-1025), dating to the 10th century AH/AD 16th. The text is largely written in black Nasta'liq script with headings in blue on a polychrome ground. The codex opens with an illuminated medallion (fol. 1a), followed by a double-page illuminated frontispiece (fols. 1b-2a), poorly preserved. The preface, ordered by Baysunghur in 829 AH/AD 1425-1426, begins on fol. 2b. The Shahnamah text begins on fol. 14b with an inscribed illuminated titlepiece. It is divided into 2 parts. Eighteen paintings illustrate the text. The black lacquer binding with lobed central ovals and pendants is not contemporary with the manuscript and dates to the 13th century AH/AD 19th.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Ahmad [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [seal impression with name on fol. 1a]; Unknown owner, 1789 [mode of acquisition unknown] [ownership entry dated 12 Jumadá I 1204 AH/AD 1789 on fol. 1a]; Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2014-2016 | From Rye to Raphael: The Walters Story. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2012 | Paradise Imagined: Images of the Garden in the Islamic and Christian World. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 1998 | Mything Persons: Historic Figures in Legends of East and West. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 3/29/2023 | Loan Consideration | examined for condition |
| 3/29/2023 | Loan Consideration | examined for loan |
Geographies
Iran (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Folio H: 12 13/16 x W: 7 1/2 in. (32.5 x 19 cm); Closed H: 13 × W: 8 7/16 × D: 3 3/16 in. (33 × 21.5 × 8.1 cm); Open H: 13 × W: 14 9/16 × D: 6 1/8 in. (33 × 37 × 15.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
W.600
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