The Houghton Shahnameh (2 vols.) [DELUXE LIMITED EDITION FACSIMILE, INCLUDING 22 LAVISH FULL-PAGE COLLOTYPE FACSIMILE PLATES IN COLOR WITH GILT OVERPRINTING]

Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1981. Limited facsimile edition. Hardcover. vg to fine. 1/750. Elephant folios. 18 x 12 1/4". Vol.1: xviii, 293pp. + 1 loose plate. Vol.2: ix, [2], 545, [1]pp. Blue buckram boards with elaborate gilt tooling and designs on the front covers, gilt lettering and red leather labels on the spines. All edges in gilt. From a limited edition of 750 un-numbered copies, finely printed in English Monotype Bembo, on heavy stock rag paper (vol.1) and Caledonia Parchment paper (vol.2). The first volume includes a total of 21 full-page facsimile plates lavishly reproduced in color collotype with gilt overprinting (including one loose color plate laid in at the front). The second volume contains 1 additional color plate as the frontispiece, and 269 sepia-toned collotype plates in sequence. Missing the original slipcase, but including the loose color plate* laid in the front of the first volume, as issued.

Shanameh, the epic poem written by Ferdowsi between 977-1010, is considered the national epic of the Persian people. Consisting of 50,000 couplets, it is the longest epic poem by a single author. The illuminated manuscript known as the Houghton Shanameh (or Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp) is among the most famous, and likely the most fully illustrated copy of the work. It is considered to contain some of the most lavish and acclaimed examples of Persian miniature painting known.

The manuscript's creation likely began sometime in the 1520s at royal workshop in Tabriz, by the order of Shah Ismail I of Safavid Persia, and was completed under the reign of Ismail's son Tahmasp I, sometime in the 1530s. Upon completion, it contained a total of 759 pages, 258 of which were miniatures, created by a large group of the top artists of the period, only some of whom have been identified - including Mir Sayyid Ali, Sultan Mohammad, Mizra-Ali (son of Sultan Mohammad), Aqa Mirak, Mir Musavvir, Dust Muhammad, and likely Abd al-Samad. Years later, in 1568, the manuscript was presented as a gift to Ottoman Sultan Selim II. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, it became part of the collection of Edmond James de Rothschild, and then was later bought by American industrialist Arthur Houghton Jr.

The first volume of this set serves as a comprehensive scholarly analysis of the work by Persian history and Islamic art scholars Martin Bernard Dickson and Stuart Cary Welch. This text contains an examination of both the literary content of the epic poem and its author, as well as the history of the Houghton Shahnameh manuscript itself, including a detailed history, and a discussion of the numerous artists who contributed are included. The volume is interleaved throughout with 21 selected examples of illuminated pages from the manuscript, gorgeously reproduced as color collotype facsimile plates, each measuring 11 3/4 x 17 3/4" (including their lustrous gilt-speckled borders). The plate laid in at the front is protected in a folded paper sleeve, with a printed text caption. All other bound-in color plates are protected with a tissue guard, each with a printed text caption. In addition, the volume is profusely illustrated throughout with countless other b/w photographic reproductions of plates and images, both larger full-page, and smaller in-text images. Tables of content, list of illustrations, and a lengthy index are also included.

The second volume contains the final color plate as its frontispiece, reproducing the Rosette ex-libris of the Shah of Tahmash the Safavi, from the manuscript. This is followed by 269 sepia-toned full-page collotype facsimile reproductions of plates from the manuscript in sequential order. Each plates has corresponding text on the opposite page, contain detailed description and analysis of the content. The final pages include sections with additional notes and index.

Bindings with very minor bumping to a few corners. Covers with some minor scratches and/or smudges. Interiors clean and vibrant. Bindings in very good to very good+, interiors in fine condition overall. *Curiously the text in the book makes no mention of the additional loose plate. (Inventory #: 54337)