Collection ID: 0023 | Metadata type: TEI | TEI XML | Data

Title

Shāhnāmah.
شاهنامه

Authors

• Firdawsī
  فردوسي
• Free Library of Philadelphia. Rare Book Department. John Frederick Lewis Collection of Oriental Manuscripts

Other related names

• Lewis, John Frederick, 1860-1932, former owner
• Lewis, Anne Baker, 1868-1937, donor
• Riviere & Son, binder

Call number

Lewis O 50
(Philadelphia, Free Library of Philadelphia, Rare Book Department)

Alternate identifiers

• bibid: 2455310
• http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1101189870
• http://openn.library.upenn.edu/Data/0023/html/lewis_o_050.html
• https://know.freelibrary.org/Record/2455310

Publisher

Free Library of Philadelphia

Language

Persian

Origin

Date

1575-1625?

Place

Iran?

Summary

Clearly written copy with one preface and 45 thickly painted miniatures; the colophon is missing from the end. An introductory illustration shows Firdawsī meeting Sulṭān Maḥmūd Ghaznavī (f. 1r). Labels in the illustrations identifying some of the characters were added by a later hand. One page is in its unfinished state with a blank left for the illustration (f. 477v) and all pages subsequent to that are missing rubrications and some rules.

Notes

• Ms. codex.
   
• Title from beginning of text (f. 1v).
   

Extent

532 leaves : 337 x 225 (256 x 145) mm bound to 350 x 250 mm

Foliation

Modern foliation added in pencil, upper left recto; catchwords every verso, lower left.

Support

Paper

Binding

Rebound in modern red leather with blind tooled frames and gold tooled corners; inside covers incorporate found traditional Islamic binding outside covers which were dark red leather with blind stamped central mandorla with radiant lines and two pendants on the vertical axis and a frame made up of blind stamped cartouches; gilt edges. Rebound by Riviere and Son (stamp inside back cover).

Layout

Preface: 25 long lines. Text: chiefly 25 lines in 4 columns with gold double rules between each column; border-ruled.

Decoration

Opening illustration with foliate marginal fill (f. 1r); illuminated headpiece above the preface, chiefly in gold and blue with the text written on cloudbands with blue and orange flowers on the gold fill and foliate marginal fill (f. 1v-2r); second illuminated headpiece in gold and blue on first opening after the preface (f. 6v) with the text of the full opening on cloudbands with blue and orange flowers and gold, foliate marginal fill (f. 6v-7r); third illuminated header (f. 136v); 45 polychrome and gold miniatures, frequently spilling into the margins (f. 21r, 27r, 28v, 45r, 47r, 58v, 59v, 61v, 64r, 72r, 74v, 83v, 89v, 103v, 109r, 114v, 128r, 133r, 157v, 159r, 171r, 192r, 215v, 217r, 223r, 233v, 238r, 244v, 246v, 248v, 261v, 270v, 271r, 281v, 292v, 294v, 297v, 309v, 330v, 337r, 365v, 369r, 389r, 424v, 439v); textblock border-ruled in double gold, orange and blue; rubrications in red and gold.

Script

Written in nastaʻlīq in black ink; pointed.

Provenance

• Formerly owned by John Frederick Lewis.
   

Subjects topical

• Persian poetry--747-1500
• Illumination of books and manuscripts, Iranian--Specimens
• Manuscripts, Persian--17th century
• Manuscripts, Oriental--17th century
• Illumination of books and manuscripts, Iranian
• Manuscripts, Oriental
• Manuscripts, Persian
• Persian poetry

Genres

• Codices (bound manuscripts)
• Epic poems
• Illuminations (painting)
• Manuscripts (documents)
• Miniatures (paintings)
• Specimens

Licenses

• Text

  These images and the content of Rare Book Department Lewis O 50: Shāhnāmah. are free of known copyright restrictions and in the public domain. See the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark page for usage details, http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

• Text

  To the extent possible under law, Free Library of Philadelphia, Special Collections has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this metadata about Rare Book Department Lewis O 50: Shāhnāmah.. This work is published from: United States. For a summary of CC0, see https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/. Legal code: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode.

  URL

  https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode

Table of contents

• fol. 1v — Preface to Shāhnāmah.
• fol. 6v — Shāhnāmah.

Decorations

• fol. 1r — Illustration
• fol. 1r — Foliate marginal fill
• fol. 1r — Foliate marginal fill
• fol. 1r — Cloudbands
• fol. 1v — Illuminated headpiece
• fol. 1v — Foliate marginal fill
• fol. 1v — Cloudbands
• fol. 2r — Foliate marginal fill
• fol. 2r — Cloudbands
• fol. 6v — Illuminated headpiece
• fol. 6v — Foliate marginal fill
• fol. 6v — Cloudbands
• fol. 7r — Foliate marginal fill
• fol. 7r — Cloudbands
• fol. 21r — Illustration
• fol. 27r — Illustration
• fol. 28v — Illustration
• fol. 45r — Illustration
• fol. 47r — Illustration
• fol. 58v — Illustration
• fol. 59v — Illustration
• fol. 61v — Illustration
• fol. 64r — Illustration
• fol. 72r — Illustration
• fol. 74v — Illustration
• fol. 83v — Illustration
• fol. 89v — Illustration
• fol. 103v — Illustration
• fol. 109r — Illustration
• fol. 114v — Illustration
• fol. 128r — Illustration
• fol. 133r — Illustration
• fol. 136v — Illuminated headpiece
• fol. 157v — Illustration
• fol. 159r — Illustration
• fol. 171r — Illustration
• fol. 192r — Illustration
• fol. 215v — Illustration
• fol. 217r — Illustration
• fol. 223r — Illustration
• fol. 233v — Illustration
• fol. 238r — Illustration
• fol. 244v — Illustration
• fol. 246v — Illustration
• fol. 248v — Illustration
• fol. 261v — Illustration
• fol. 270v — Illustration
• fol. 271r — Illustration
• fol. 281v — Illustration
• fol. 292v — Illustration
• fol. 294v — Illustration
• fol. 297v — Illustration
• fol. 309v — Illustration
• fol. 330v — Illustration
• fol. 337r — Illustration
• fol. 365v — Illustration
• fol. 369r — Illustration
• fol. 389r — Illustration
• fol. 424v — Illustration
• fol. 439v — Illustration
• fol. 477v — Blank left for illustration