A late Mughal period manuscript in gold tooled brown leather binding, doublures of gold palmettes. The ms has 604 folios, and four illuminated pages; it was purchased from Col. H.B. Hanna.
The text is divided into two parts, each introduced by a pair of illuminated pages (ff. 1v-2r, 342v-343r). The first fols. 2v-16v are decorated with interlinear gold, as are pages with paintings. The paper is thin, brown and very smooth. Margins are ruled in thin blue, space, thin red, space, 2 thin black, space, gold, space, very thin black. Columns are ruled in 2x two thin black with gold, the intercolumnar space blank. The rubrics are ruled in two thin black with gold.
There is no Preface; the text of the Shahnama starts immediately on f. 1v. The verses are not always easily identified, the break-line either not found, or occurring at some distance from the break-line after the picture, suggesting that the paintings have been pasted or painted over the text (this is to be confirmed).
The paintings are very fine, highly detailed and richly coloured, with liberal use of gold, generally of a quality superior to the rest of the ms. Most paintings, on recto side, are preceded by one or two pages in chalipa (diagonal) script.
Investigated by L.W., July 2006,and Ch.M., November 2008.
