TEHRAN – A group of artists have created a collection of glass paintings featuring large size copies of illustrations from a rare copy of the Shahnameh, the masterpiece of Persian poet Ferdowsi.

The group led by Marzieh Sadat Kamanian first carried out restorations on the illustrations, which remained, and then afterwards the collection was born, announced the Sadabad Cultural-Historical Complex that will host an exhibition of the collection from June 27 to July 4.

The collection composed of 19 glass paintings each measuring 40X70 centimeters, and Yasaman Siavashi, Fatemeh Kahlui and Masumeh Karimian are the members of the group.

The rare copy of the Shahnameh was scripted and illustrated during the Timurid period (ca. 1370-1507). The copy is preserved at the Majlis Library Museum and Documentation Center.

The copy enjoys a series of special illustrations with bright beautiful colors that feature a unique style of Persian miniature painting.

Several exquisite copies of the Shahnameh were scripted and illustrated under the Timurid dynasty, which was founded by Tamerlane, the Turkic ruler of Central Asia who lived from 1336 until 1405.

One of the copies is the Shahnameh of Baysunqur that was inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register list in 2007.

The copy was made in 1430 for Prince Baysunqur (1399-1433) who was the grandson of Tamerlane.

The Shahnameh of Baysunqur is kept in the library of Golestan Palace in Tehran.

Photo: A page from a copy of the Shahnameh of Baysunqur

MMS/YAW