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Ilkhanid Illustration
Isfandiyar's fifth labour: he kills the Simurgh.
from the 1341 Inju Shahnama, Shiraz


A larger image of 'Isfandiyar's fifth labour: he kills the Simurgh'. 1341 Shahnama - Inju Dynasty, Shiraz. Keir Collection III.006


Isfandiyar kills the mythical bird, the Simurgh
CULTURE: Shiraz, Iran
DATE: Ramadan 741 AH / February-March 1341
MATERIAL AND TECHNIQUE: Ink, colors and gold on paper
CLASSIFICATION: Detached Folio
DIMENSIONS: Sheet dimensions: 14 1/8 × 11 3/4 in. (35.88 × 29.85 cm)
DEPARTMENT: The Keir Collection of Islamic Art
CREDIT LINE: The Keir Collection of Islamic Art on loan to the Dallas Museum of Art
OBJECT NUMBER: K.1.2014.7
General Description: Keir catalogue number III.006
From a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of Kings) dedicated to the chief vizier of Fars, Hajji Qawam al-Dawla wa’l-Din Hasan and copied by the calligrapher from Mosul, Iraq, Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn Husain al-Mawsili. Finished in Ramadan 741 AH / February-March 1341.

In this case, an illustration has been added to an unrelated piece of text, probably by a dealer for the art market.
Source: Dallas Museum of Art



London, Keir Collection
Manuscript: III.4 - III.6
Accession Number: III.6
Chapter 15 - Gushtasp (120 years)
Scene: Isfandiyar's fifth labour: he kills the Simurgh
Format: Rectangular within borders
Reconstructed Folio: 181
Hijri Date: 741 Dhu'l-Qa'da 20
Gregorian Date: 1341 May 14
School: Inju'id Shiraz
Public Notes: The painting is pasted over the text of the end of the story of Siyavush. See Simpson, 2000, pp. 238, 242.
Source: Shahnama Project


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