Double Finispiece
Double Finispiece
Fol. 317v-318r from a manuscript of the Nigaristan of Ahmad Ghaffari
Iran, Shiraz, 1573-1574
Opaque watercolour and gold on pasteboard, covered in varnish
AKM272
Persian illustrated manuscripts were made for patrons of various social standings. However, those decorated with costly materials and sizable illustrative suites were usually made for ruling elites. Their patronage was often alluded to in a manuscript’s frontis- or finispieces (pictures at the beginning or end of manuscripts respectively). Typically, they portrayed courtly pastimes, as seen in this double-page finispiece depicting a royal hunt. As this example shows, the location of frontis- and finispieces at either end of a manuscript resulted in greater wear than the rest of its contents.