16th C Folio Sets Islamic Art Auction Record

UNITED KINGDOM - A 16th century illustrated portfolio from the "Shahnameh" ("Book of Kings") of Shah Tahmasp of Persia, fetched 7.4 million pounds ($12 million) on Wednesday, a new auction record for an Islamic work of art. The leaf from the Persian national epic depicts Faridun in the guise of a dragon testing his sons, and comes from the collection of Stuart Cary Welch, the renowned U.S. scholar, curator and collector of Islamic and Indian art. It was sold in London at Sotheby's in the first sale of a two-part auction of Welch's collection. The second part will take place in London in May. [Source: Los Angeles Times]