M. B. Dickson and S. C. Welch, The Houghton Shahnameh, in two volumes Cambridge, MA, and London,...

M. B. Dickson and S. C. Welch, The Houghton Shahnameh, in two volumes Cambridge, MA, and London, 1981 2 volumes, edition of 750, 21 colour plates and numerous other monochrome plates, pp. 293 and 545 respectively, blue cloth gilt, boxed folio, 458 x 317 mm.(2) Footnotes: Provenance Private UK collection: this copy was presented to the vendor by Arthur Houghton Jr. in 1976, after the sale of seven leaves from the original manuscript at Christie's. For a good synopsis of the history of the Houghton Shahnameh, see Sotheby's, Persian and Indian Manuscripts and Miniatures: from the collection formed by the British Rail Pension Fund, 23rd April 1996, lots 11-14; or the separate catalogue, Three Illustrated Leaves from the Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp, 13th April 2000. To quote that synopsis: 'After the manuscript reached America in 1959 Stuart Cary Welch embarked on a long and thorough investigation and study of the manuscript, culminating in his great two-volume publication with Martin Bernard Dickson in 1981, The Houghton Shahnameh. It can safely be said that nobody has devoted as much time to the manuscript since circa 1540'. The edition was published for the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, and has a foreword by a former and the then current director. Vol. I (pp. 293) has 21 colour plates and 284 other illustrations; vol. II (pp. 545) has 269 monochrome plates. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: • • Zero rated for VAT, no VAT will be added to the Hammer Price or the Buyer's Premium. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing