"Isfandiyar's Fourth Course: He Slays a Sorceress", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi
ca. 1330–40
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper
Dimensions
Page: H. 7 7/8 in. (20 cm) W. 5 3/8 in. (13.6 cm) Painting: H. 1 13/16 in. (4.6 cm) W. 4 1/4 in. (10.8 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
1974.290.27
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite folio from a *Shahnama* ( of Kings), the poem by Abu'l Qasim Firda completed around 1010, captures the dramatic moment of "Isfandiyar's Fourth Course: Heays a Sorceress." to circa 1330–40, it hails from the golden age of Persian manuscript illumination, likely produced in a royal workshop during the Ilkhanid period in Iran. The *Shahnama* chronicles Iran's mythical kings and heroes, blending history, legend, and moral tales; here, the armored prince Isfandiyar confronts a treacherous sorceress as part of his seven perilous trials ordered by King Goshtasp. Rendered in ink, opaqu...
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...