File:Folio from a manuscript of the Shahnameh, The Book of Kings, copied for the Nawab of Oudh, Sa'adat 'Ali Khan (reg. 1798-1814), Lucknow, dated between January 1797 and 1799 (2).jpg

English: Firdausi, Shahnama, The Book of Kings, lavishly illustrated with one hundred and thirteen miniatures, copied for the Nawab of Oudh, Sa'adat 'Ali Khan (reg. 1798-1814)

Lucknow, dated between Rajab 1211 [at the end of Bk. 2]/January 1797 and AH 1214/AD 1799

Persian manuscript on paper, 638 leaves, 25 lines to the page written in four columns of elegant nasta'liq script in black ink, double intercolumnar rules in red, inner margins ruled in blue and red, catchwords, headings written in nasta'liq script in red, four illuminated headpieces richly decorated with intertwining floral and vegetal motifs in colours and gold, on gold ground, outer border of each illuminated page and borders of opposite folio decorated with a continuous ogee pattern filled with arabesques and floral motifs in blue, the extensive colophon written in red with the name of Nawab Sa'adat 'Ali Khan Bahadur in gold, some waterstaining mostly restricted to outer margins, small areas of text smudged or rubbed, slightly trimmed, boards with brown morocco gilt spine and cornerpieces, worn, edges with rodent damage

The sack of Delhi in 1739 led to a migration of Mughal artists from the city to the state Oudh to the west of Bihar, establishing studios in the capitals Farrukhabad, Faizabad and Lucknow, all important centres of provincial Mughal painting in the second half of the 18th Century. These accomplished artists worked for both Indian and European patrons and many adopted techniques using watercolours that developed into the European-influenced Company School style. However, many artists also continued with the established traditions of 18th Century miniature painting but used slightly stronger colours as depicted in this lavishly illustrated Shahnama. Although the Mughal empire was in decline, this style, often of high quality, continued at Lucknow into the 19th Century. Another but later example of the prolific work of Lucknow artists is the illustrated (again with over a hundred miniatures) Ishqnamah, a poem dated 1849-1850 by Wajid 'Ali Shah, King of Oudh (reg. 1847-1856), concerning the Lucknow court, now in the Royal Library, Windsor (RCIN 1005035).

The patron, Sa'adat 'Ali Khan:

He was the fifth Nawab Wazir of Oudh from 1798 to 1814, and was the second son of Nawab Shuja-ud-Daulah. He was crowned on 21st January 1798 at Bibiyapur Palace in Lucknow by Sir John Shore after making allegiance to the East India Company. He was to sign another treaty by which the annual amount to be paid to the Company was increased by 20 lakhs to 76 lakhs. His powers were very much reduced within the first three years of his reign. He was unable to pay his dues to the Company, which as a result had taken possession of half of Oudh by 1801. For further reading see Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, Lucknow Then and Now, Mumbai 2003, pp. 20, 66, 77, 100, 129 and 133.