Scope and Content

This manuscript is a copy of the divan of Hafiz (d.1389), the famous Iranian poet from Shiraz. It opens with a double frontispiece of an outdoor scene of princely entertainment, including a female dancer followed by a double page illumination rendered in ultramarine blue and gold and a multicoloured scrollwork. The style of both the illumination and the paintings strongly suggests that the manuscript was produced in Shiraz. It may date from the first quarter of the 16th century (c.1525) as the style of the paintings and the shape of the taj (baton) protruding from the turbans can be associated with the Shiraz and Tabriz schools of painting of this period.

Access Information

Open

Acquisition Information

Donated by Mr R.S.Greenshields, 1931.

Physical Characteristics and/or Technical Requirements

H20.8 x W12.2cm

Conditions Governing Use

For permission to publish, please contact Archives & Special Collections, SOAS Library in the first instance