"Caesar Gives his Daughter Katayun to Gushtasp", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi
ca. 1330–40
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper
Dimensions
Painting: H. 1 15/16 in. (4.9 cm) W. 4 3/16 in. (10.6 cm) Page: H. 8 1/16 in. (20.5 cm) W. 5 5/16 in. (13.5 cm) Mat: H. 19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm) W. 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Monroe C. Gutman, 1974
Accession Number
1974.290.22
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite folio, titled *"Caesar Gives his Daughterayun to Gushtasp"*, comes from a *Shahnama* (Book of Kings), the epic by Abu'l Qasim Firda completed around 1010 CE. Dating to ca. 1330–40, it captures a pivotal moment in Persian mythology: the Byzantine emperor Caesar betrothing his daughter, the princess Katayun, to the Persian prince Gushtasp Such scenes blend history, legend, and romance, celebrating Iran's royal lineage in a narrative that spans pre-Islamic kings to the Arab conquest. Crafted in the tradition of Persian miniature painting, the artwork employs ink for precise outlin...
About the Artist
Abu'l Qasim Firdausi · 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...