A LOOSE ILLUSTRATED FOLIO OF FIRDAWSI (D.1025)'S SHAHNAMA
Possibly Isfahan, Safavid Iran, late 17th century

Opaque pigments and ink heightened with gold and silver on varnished and lacquered paper, assembled as a muraqqa’ cut-out collage album page, the glazed paper with two lines in each rectangular cartouche from the Shahnama of Firdawsi in black ink Persian nasta’liq script, the illumination in the centre mirroring Mu’in Musavvir (active 1630s – 90s)'s pictorial style, depicting a young princely warrior attacking an elephant with a mace, observed by two elegant Indian Mughal princes, further illuminated portraits of banqueting courtiers and warriors inserted in the upper register, the elephant’s cut-out rear legs and tail outside the frame, the added decorative borders with a sinuous vegetal frieze, set within gold and black rules, in a cream mount, the cropped folio 14.8cm x 19cm, 33.5cm x 34.2cm including the mount.