Book of Kings (Shahnama)
(Manuscripts and Rare Books, Islamic World , Islamic Manuscripts)
Walters manuscript W.603 is an illuminated and illustrated incomplete copy of the Shahnamah (Book of kings) by Abu al-Qasim Firdawsi (died 411 or 416 AH/AD 1020-1025), dating between the 11th century AH/AD 17th and the 13th century AH/AD 19th. The text, written in black Nasta'liq script with chapter/section headings in red on a gold ground, is illustrated with 17 paintings. Two of the illustrations (fols. 2b and 269a) are in a clearly recognizable Qajar style and certainly date to the 13th century AH/AD 19th. The others may be late Safavid, repainted in 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.
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Geographies
Iran (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Folio H: 13 3/8 x W: 7 11/16 in. (34 x 19.5 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.603
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