Folio from ‘world masterpiece’ illuminated manuscript goes up for auction

Section of the Shah Tahmasp Shahnameh is expected to fetch between 4m and 6m at auction next month

A folio from the Shah Tahmasp Shahnameh, one of the finest illustrated manuscripts in existence" according to Sotheby's, is expected to fetch between 4m and 6m at auction next month.

The Shahnameh, also known as the Book of Kings, is an epic poem containing 50,000 rhyming couplets, telling the history of Persia's rulers. It was written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between 977 and 1010.