The Illustration of an Epic: The Earliest Shahnama Manuscripts by Marianna Shreve Simpson
$300.00
The Illustration of an Epic: The Earliest Shahnama Manuscripts by Marianna Shreve Simpson, published in 1979. A scholarly study of the earliest illustrated manuscripts of the Shahnama, the great Persian epic composed by Ferdowsi, examining the origins and development of its pictorial tradition in medieval Persian book art. Simpson explores the so-called “Small Shahnamas,” analyzing their artistic style, production, and historical context, as well as their importance in the evolution of Persian manuscript illumination. Sections include The Case of the Small Shahnamas, The Small Shahnamas as Illustrated Manuscripts, The Setting and Significance of the Small Shahnamas, and related discussions of early Persian miniature painting and epic narrative illustration. Hardcover with only the very lightest shelfwear.
