"Kai Khusrau, Gudarz and Giv Capturing the Demon's Fortress, Bahman (?)", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings)
ca. 1430–40
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
H. 7 5/8 in. (19.4 cm) W. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Grinnell Collection, Bequest of William Milne Grinnell, 1920
Accession Number
20.120.243
Tags
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...