Shahnama Project : Shahnama

Firdausi

Shahnama Project

<p style='text-align: justify;'><p>Indian copy, not a bad calligraphy,of two manuscripts in one binding. What is interesting is both texts were copied by the same hand, which probably made the one who was responsible for putting them together make such decision: not only the calligraphy, but also the layout decoration: coloured frames of the text blocks, etc.</p><p>The binding of dark red leather with a flap in very poor condition, rather worn and worm eaten.</p><p>We have here a very curious example of a typical commercial product, or two pieces by the same craftsman, who probably had perhaps survived bankruptcy. There is no colophon and no incipit. The work is divided into four jild, hence four 'unvans with pretty luxurious double page illumination with lots of gold on the margins and interlinear 'clouds' round the texts. Prose Preface (10 ff), of which the satire is one full folio - ff. 8r-9r, and a lughatnama, dictionary on ff.12r-17v.</p><p>There are 43 blanks for places allocated for illustrations, but only one executed: f. 359r - Zarir killed in a battle?.</p><p>Preliminary investigation by FA, 9 June 2010, to be completed.</p></p>