Harvard Art Museums > 2014.407: Firman of Muhammad Shah Qajar Manuscripts Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Firman of Muhammad Shah Qajar , 2014.407,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Jul 26, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/352147. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2014.407 Title Firman of Muhammad Shah Qajar Classification Manuscripts Work Type painting with calligraphy Date 1835 Period Qajar period Culture Persian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/352147 Physical Descriptions Medium Ink, colors, and gold on paper Dimensions 42 x 29 cm (16 9/16 x 11 7/16 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History [Nader and Nader, New York, (2001-2002)] sold; to Layla Diba, New York (2002-14), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2014. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Dr. Layla S. Diba in memory of Mahmood T. Diba Accession Year 2014 Object Number 2014.407 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description This firman (royal decree) is from Muhammad Shah Qajar (r. 1834-48). It is addressed to Mu`tamid al-Dawla, the governor of Isfahan; it transfers to Mirza Husayn Khan, the governor of Na’in, mountainside regions that had formerly been under the jurisdiction of Isfahan. The Hijri date Shawwal 1250 corresponds to February 1835, early in the reign of this monarch. The firman is written in nasta`liq, shikasta, and tughra’i scripts within gold cloud bands. The text rises at the end of each line on the left, a convention also found in Ottoman firmans. The five lines of text are interspersed with panels of interlacing serrated leaves in gold. The religious introductory formula is written in tughra’i script at the beginning of the text. On the right hand side is a wide panel of interlacing palmette scrolls in colors and gold. Muhammad Shah’s seal, enclosed by an illuminated quatrefoil motif, is placed in the upper center of the document. There are 11 seal endorsements on the back, some accompanied by signatures and/or inscriptions. Exhibition History 32Q: 2550 Islamic, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 04/26/2017 - 11/08/2017 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
