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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2002.50.141
Title
Story of the Expedition of the Army of Rum to Iran (text, recto and verso), folio from a manuscript of the Shahnama by Firdawsi
Classification
Manuscripts
Work Type
manuscript folio
Date
c. 1480
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Iran, Shiraz
Period
Aq Qoyunlu period
Culture
Persian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/146639

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
34.2 x 22.5 cm (13 7/16 x 8 7/8 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood, Belmont, MA (by 1998-2002), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2002.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art
Accession Year
2002
Object Number
2002.50.141
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Like the illustrated folios from this manuscript, this text folio is written in nasta'liq script, with titles inscribed in white on gold backgrounds ornamented with floral motifs. In addition to being decorative, the slanted lines of text in the middle of the page are arranged to take up extra space, probably so that a subsequent illustration will be nearer the relevant text.

Published Catalogue Text: In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art , written 2013
71

Text folio
Recto: text
Verso: text, with titles “The Emperor of Rum leads the army against Iran” and “Fariburz [?] writes a letter to the Khaqan of China”
Aq Qoyunlu period, c. 1480
Folio: 34.2 × 22.5 cm (13 7/16 × 8 7/8 in.)
2002.50.141

Like the illustrated folios from this manuscript, this text folio is written in nastaʿlīq script, with titles inscribed in white on gold backgrounds ornamented with floral motifs. In addition to being decorative, the slanted lines of text in the middle of the page are arranged to take up extra space, probably so that a subsequent illustration will be nearer the relevant text.

Mika M. Natif

Publication History

  • Mary McWilliams, ed., In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, exh. cat., Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2013), p. 221, cat. 71, ill.

Exhibition History

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu