TIMURID SHIRAZ, IRAN, FIRST HALF 15TH CENTURY

A scene with very similar composition depicting a fight between mounted warriors in a mountainous landscape, can be seen on fol.89b. of a Shahnama in the Bodleian library (MS. Ouseley Add.176). Our painting is distinguished by the way in which the composition extends beyond the text panel to the left. Though Persian artists had been exploring the possibilities of using the margins since the Ilkhanid period, it remained relatively uncommon until the later 16th century. In the Oxford manuscript only a few illustrations - such as that depicting Kayumars in the form of a dragon fighting with his sons on fol.32b - take advantage of the full space of the page. A Shahnama illustration of similar date was sold in these Rooms, 31 March 2022, lot 58.