An Illustrated and Illuminated leaf from a manuscript of Firdausi's Shahnameh: Isfandiyar kills the Simurgh, Persia, Shiraz, circa 1430-40

Gouache heightened with gold on polished paper, 10 or 11 lines to the page written in nasta'liq script in black ink, within 4 columns with double intercolumnar rules, title in larger black riqa' script within a cloud band against a hatched gold ground, reverse with 25 lines of text

In fairly good overall condition, marginal repairs, some small stains and smudges, minor retouching, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The style of this Shahnameh leaf, which developed during the reign of Ibrahim Sultan in the first half of the fifteenth century in Shiraz, is characterised by large figures and simple landscapes. One of the most important manuscripts of the type was a further Shahnameh made for Ibrahim Sultan himself (c.1435), now in the Bodleian Library (see F. Abdulleva & C. Melville, The Persian Book of Kings: Ibrahim Sultan's Shahnama, Oxford, 2008). For another illustration of the present scene from a Shiraz manuscript of 1441, see Soudavar 1992, p.77, fig.27h.