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Page from a Shah-nama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (Persian, about 934–1020)
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Page from a Shah-nama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (Persian, about 934–1020)

Mir Musavvir (Iranian, c. 1510–1555), artist · 1520–37 · Gum tempera, ink, gold, and silver on paper

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

Begun at the end of the reign of Shah Ismail (reigned 1501–24), first king of the Safavid dynasty of Iran, this copy of the Shah-nama (Book of Kings) was completed during the reign of his son Shah Tahmasp. Unparalleled in scope and refinement, the book included 259 paintings by master artists in the royal workshop. Two calligraphers copied the text in an elegant, flowing nasta‘liq script. In 1568, Shah Tahmasp gave this book as a gift to the Ottoman sultan Selim II of Turkey.

Cleveland Museum of Art’s own description
Credit linePage from a Shah-nama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (Persian, about 934–1020), 1520–37. Attributed to Mir Musavvir (Iranian, c. 1510–1555). Gum tempera, ink, gold, and silver on paper; sheet: 47.5 x 32.2 cm (18 11/16 x 12 11/16 in.); text area: 28.4 x 18.5 cm (11 3/16 x 7 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 1988.96.b
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