Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (died 1020); recto: text; verso: Shah Nushirvan bestows largess upon his minister Buzurjmihr
HISTORICAL PERIOD: Il-Khanid dynasty, Mongol period, ca. 1330
MEDIUM: Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
DIMENSIONS: H x W: 41.2 x 29.5 cm (16 1/4 x 11 5/8 in)
GEOGRAPHY: Iran, Tabriz
CREDIT LINE: Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
ACCESSION NUMBER: F1942.2
CLASSIFICATION: Manuscript
TYPE: Detached manuscript folio
PREVIOUS OWNER: Heeramaneck Galleries

LABEL
This folio depicts the Sasanian king Nushirvan, known as Khusraw IV (reigned 531-79), who was renowned for his justice and benevolence. It is one of several illustrations that highlight those character traits. When the able vizier Buzurgmihr interprets some of Nushirvan's troubling dreams, the vizier is rewarded with a series of banquets as well as bags of silver coins visible here.

The composition originally formed part of the celebrated Ilkhanid or Mongol Shahnama (1443-45), regarded as a landmark in the history of Persian manuscript painting for its size and the pictorial complexity of the illustrations.
Source: Freer Gallery of Art

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Washington, D.C., Freer Gallery of Art
Title of Work: Shahnama (Great Mongol)
Manuscript: F1923.5 - F1942.2
Accession Number: F1942.2
Chapter 41 - Kisra Anushirvan (48 years)
Scene: Anushirvan's seventh majlis for Buzurjmihr
Dimensions (h x w): 180 x 290 mm
Format: Irregular, random within borders
Reconstructed Folio: 230v
Gregorian Date: 1335 (circa)
School: Tabriz, Ilkhanid period
Source: Shahnama Project