"Birth of Zal", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings)
dated A.H. 985/1576–77 CE
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
H. 17 3/4 in. (45.1 cm) W. 12 1/8 in. (30.8 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1934
Accession Number
34.72
Tags
About the Artist
Abu'l Qasim Firdausi|Siyavush|Shah Isma'il II · 935–1020
Abu'l Qasim Firdausi, born around 940 in the village of Paj near Tus in Khorasan (modern-day Iran), emerged from a family of landed gentry known as dehqans, who preserved ancient Iranian oral traditions amid the cultural renaissance of the Samanid Empire. Little is documented about his early life or formal training, though he likely received a basic education including Arabic literacy, immersing h...