A woman presents a swaddled infant to an enthroned ruler

A bearded, turbaned ruler in an orange robe sits on a golden throne against pink rocky ground and a gold sky, attended by courtiers in orange, blue, tan and navy robes on a dark green lawn; a kneeling woman in a blue robe and white headscarf holds up a swaddled infant toward him. A standing courtier in red and green carries a tambourine. A leafless pale-blue tree with birds' nests and small grey birds grows above flowering white and pink blossoms.

The Shahnama, or Book of Kings, is the Persian national epic: a verse history of Iran from its first kings to the Arab conquest, completed around 1010 by the poet Firdausi of Tus (c. 940–1020). Its illustrations were painted in later centuries for the rulers and patrons who commissioned copies. Illustrated manuscripts survive from the Ilkhanid period onward, from the First Small Shahnama of the early fourteenth century to Shah Tahmasp's great copy made in Tabriz, and later volumes from Qazvin, Herat and Bijapur in the Deccan. Leaves from these dispersed manuscripts are held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Printed as a museum-grade giclée on Hahnemühle fine art paper using 12-ink archival pigment printing. Available handframed in FSC-certified wood with optional float glass, or unframed. Ships worldwide with free delivery to 30+ countries.