Ferdowsi - Shahnameh Manuscript - 1760

A single manuscript page from a copy of the Shahnameh (The Book of Kings) by the poet Ferdowsi dating back to the 18th Century, It is written in black nasta’liq script, with a fine illuminated header. The poem chronicles the history of Kings from mythical times to the C7th. The Shahnama is a fudational work of Persian literature comprising around 60,000 rhyming couplets. The text talks of bearing witness to battle and of a brave cavalryman building an army to seek revenge for his father.

The page is plain text, divided into 4 columns of 25 lines of script in fine nasta'liq black ink, separated by a decorative floral column. A single decorative Chapter heading cutting across the central two columns, reducing these to 22 lines of script. The heading script is also nasta'liq in red within a gold cartouche, which has retained its colour well. Blue floral decorations 'book-end' the header. The whole page is bordered by a solid gold frame edged in blue.

The page is in very good condition.

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