The Padshahnama was disbound and its paintings removed from the manuscript 25 years ago for conservation purposes. Ten of the manuscript’s paintings are on display in the main gallery. The bindings, pages of text and the silk cover in which the Padshahnama was sent to George III are usually stored separately in the Royal Library but they have been brought together for this exhibition.

The text of the Padshahnama is a combination of Persian prose and verse written in an ornate style. The long introduction narrates the Mughal imperial genealogy from Timur to Jahangir. This manuscript is signed by the Mughal calligrapher Muhammad Amin of Mashhad who has written the names of Emperor Shah-Jahan’s ancestors in gold ink.