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Source Description
At the center of the recto side of this folio is a shamsa, or sunburst, an exquisite symmetrical pattern of floral and geometric shapes painted in precious pigments and gold to reference divine light. The shamsa might have been intended to contain a name or portrait identifying the manuscript’s original owner, but in this case it is empty.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
124166
label
Shamsa (recto) from right folio from a double-page frontispiece of a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (940–1019 or 1025)
core
obj
dtoType
manuscript
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
124166
contentType
manuscript
title
Shamsa (recto) from right folio from a double-page frontispiece of a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (940–1019 or 1025)
description
At the center of the recto side of this folio is a shamsa, or sunburst, an exquisite symmetrical pattern of floral and geometric shapes painted in precious pigments and gold to reference divine light. The shamsa might have been intended to contain a name or portrait identifying the manuscript’s original owner, but in this case it is empty.
date
c. 1444
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60752142
genreSpecific
Manuscript
imageCount
1
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
tombstone
Shamsa (recto) from right folio from a double-page frontispiece of a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (940–1019 or 1025), c. 1444. Iran, Shiraz, Timurid period (1370-1501). Opaque watercolor and gold on paper; image: 27.7 x 10.3 cm (10 7/8 x 4 1/16 in.); overall: 32.5 x 22.1 cm (12 13/16 x 8 11/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1945.169.a
collection
Islamic Art
dimensions
inscriptions
inscription
Yā kabīkaj
inscription_translation
King of Cockroaches
inscription_remark
This is a talismanic inscription against insects that might damage the book.
relatedWorks
id
133448
description
Royal Reception in a Landscape, left folio from the double frontispiece of a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (Persian, about 940–1019 or 1025), 1444. Iran, Shiraz, Timurid period (1370-1501). Opaque watercolor, ink, gold, and silver on paper; overall: 32.7 x 22 cm (12 7/8 x 8 11/16 in.); image: 26.1 x 20.7 cm (10 1/4 x 8 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1956.10.a
citations
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook.</em> Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
page_number
Mentioned: cat. no. 722
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 228-229
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:24:08.572000
sourceId
124166
tec
opaque watercolor and gold on paper
dept
Islamic Art
coll
Islamic Art
cul
Iran, Shiraz, Timurid period (1370-1501)
med
opaque watercolor and gold on paper
accession
1945.169.a
thumbnail_url
image_url
dimensionsRaw
Image: 27.7 x 10.3 cm (10 7/8 x 4 1/16 in.); Overall: 32.5 x 22.1 cm (12 13/16 x 8 11/16 in.)
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
7074ed6f146e05e5