Illuminated frontispiece (illuminated text, recto; text, verso), left-hand side of a bifolio from a manuscript of the Shahnama by Firdawsi

The recto of this folio is the left half of a frontispiece from a copy of the Shahnama. Written in white nasta'liq script within the central medallion are lines of Baysunghur Mirza’s introduction to Firdawsi’s epic. The illumination consists of abstract curvilinear motifs in blue and gold overlaid with sinuous cloudbands and colorful floral scrolls. To the right of the inner rectangle, at the midpoint of the blue ruling, a tiny inscription in white reads, amal-i Qasim (made by Qasim), probably referring to the illuminator. In design and palette, this frontispiece is comparable to others produced in Iran and Central Asia in the second half of the sixteenth century. For comparison see 2002.50.127 and 2002.50.126 at the Harvard Art Museums.