Bijan killing the wild boars of Irman, from a Shah-nama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (Persian, about 934–1020), (recto)
Unknown Artist
c. 1610
Medium
Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions
20.3 × 12 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection
Accession Number
2013.283.1.a
About this artwork
This illustrated page from a Shah-nama depicts the first adventure of the hero Bijan, son of an Iranian knight. When reports arrived at the king’s court of wild boars ravaging the borderlands between the enemy realms of Iran and Turan, Bijan volunteered to hunt and kill the beasts, much to the chagrin of his father, who doubted his young son’s ability to navigate the politically volatile situation. The fearless Bijan is shown on horseback as he singlehandedly strikes down on the bodies of the wi...