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Lot Essay
INSCRIPTIONS:
Title above the painting: razm-i faramarz ba surkha pisar-i afrasiyab, ‘The battle of Faramarz with Surkha, son of Afrasiyab’
Though this manuscript was dispersed in the early 20th century, the survival of the finispiece and colophon in the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto (Ir.M. 6/Iv), means that we can date its completion precisely to 20 Dhu’l-Qada AH 741/7 May 1341 AD. The colophon also identifies the scribe as a certain Hasan ibn ‘Ali ibn Husayni al-Mawsili. A further folio in the National Museum of Asian Art, Washington DC (S1986.110), identifies the patron as Qiwam al-Dawla wa’l-Din, who is known to have served the Inju Governors of Shiraz who governed much of Fars during the time of the Ilkhanate. A number of important early illustrated manuscripts are known to have been produced under the Injuids, from other Shahnama manuscripts in the Topkapı Palace Museum, Istanbul (H.1479) and in the National Library of Russia, St Petersburg (Dorn 329), to a dispersed Khalila wa Dimna, a folio of which is in the British Museum, London (1955,0709,0.1). Other folios from the 1341 Shahnama are widely dispersed in institutions across the world, though the largest section of 85 folios is in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin (CBL Per 110). Other folios have been sold at auction in these Rooms, 23 October 2007, lot 172, and in Sotheby’s London, 27 October 2021, 131.
Title above the painting: razm-i faramarz ba surkha pisar-i afrasiyab, ‘The battle of Faramarz with Surkha, son of Afrasiyab’
Though this manuscript was dispersed in the early 20th century, the survival of the finispiece and colophon in the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto (Ir.M. 6/Iv), means that we can date its completion precisely to 20 Dhu’l-Qada AH 741/7 May 1341 AD. The colophon also identifies the scribe as a certain Hasan ibn ‘Ali ibn Husayni al-Mawsili. A further folio in the National Museum of Asian Art, Washington DC (S1986.110), identifies the patron as Qiwam al-Dawla wa’l-Din, who is known to have served the Inju Governors of Shiraz who governed much of Fars during the time of the Ilkhanate. A number of important early illustrated manuscripts are known to have been produced under the Injuids, from other Shahnama manuscripts in the Topkapı Palace Museum, Istanbul (H.1479) and in the National Library of Russia, St Petersburg (Dorn 329), to a dispersed Khalila wa Dimna, a folio of which is in the British Museum, London (1955,0709,0.1). Other folios from the 1341 Shahnama are widely dispersed in institutions across the world, though the largest section of 85 folios is in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin (CBL Per 110). Other folios have been sold at auction in these Rooms, 23 October 2007, lot 172, and in Sotheby’s London, 27 October 2021, 131.