Recto: Nineteen lines of four columns of nasta'liq script in black ink, written on laid and polished paper. A beautiful chapter heading written in blue ink and interwoven with decorations of leaves in gold and orange & ochre rounds. The inner margins are ruled in gold within black, and the outer margins are in gold, black, blue and ochre.

Verso: As Recto, but without the chapter heading.

Condition: This leaf is in good condition, considering its age and the fragility of the paper. Damp staining is confined to the outer margins of the leaf, and is masked off. There are several small wormholes and repairs, but they are outside the ruled area. The leaf is unconditionally guaranteed genuine.

Notes:The Crown Jewel of Persian literature - the Shahnameh, or Epic of Kings, was written by Ferdowsi, a Persian poet who lived from 940 to 1020. It tells the stories of the mythical kings of Persia. Ferdowsi worked for thirty years to finish this masterpiece which contains nearly 60,000 verses in short rhyming couplets. His epic story of the heroes is still read today, and considered one of the greatest pieces of literature in the world.

Labels: leaf, manuscript, Persian poetry