description Great Mongol Shahnameh Overview
The Great Mongol Shahnameh, also called the Demotte Shahnameh, is an extensively illustrated Persian manuscript produced under the Ilkhanids during the 14th century. It presents episodes from Ferdowsi's Shahnameh in large, elaborate paintings that combine Persian traditions with artistic influences associated with Mongol rule. The manuscript was later disassembled, and its surviving folios are now divided among museums and private collections.
help Great Mongol Shahnameh FAQ
Why is the Great Mongol Shahnameh also called the Demotte Shahnameh?
The alternative name comes from Paris dealer Georges Demotte, who handled the manuscript in the early 20th century. Its pages were separated and dispersed, so surviving paintings now belong to museums and private collections.
Where was the Great Mongol Shahnameh made?
It was produced in Ilkhanid Persia, probably at the royal center of Tabriz, during the 14th century. Its paintings combine Persian imagery with artistic features shaped by the Mongol empire's wider Asian connections.
What text does the Great Mongol Shahnameh illustrate?
It illustrates Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, the Persian Book of Kings, which recounts Iran's legendary and historical past. Scenes range from heroic battles to royal enthronements, mourning, and dynastic tragedy.
Can the Great Mongol Shahnameh be seen as one complete book?
No. The manuscript was dismantled, and individual folios are distributed among institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre, and the Freer Gallery of Art. Its original sequence must therefore be reconstructed through scholarship.
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