"Khusrau Parviz's Charge against Bahram Chubina", Folio 707v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
ca. 1530–35
Medium
Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
Dimensions
Painting: H. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm) W. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm) Entire Page: H. 18 9/16 in. (47.1 cm) W. 12 3/8 in. (31.4 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Arthur A. Houghton Jr., 1970
Accession Number
1970.301.72
Tags
Art Historical Context
This vibrant folio, titled *Khusrau Parviz's Charge against Bahram China*, comes from the magnificent *Shahnama* (Book of Kings) of Tahmasp, the crowning achievement of Safavid Persian manuscript art around 1530–35. Attributed to the master painter Bashdan Qara it illustrates a pivotal episode from the epic poem by Abu'l Qasim Firdausi: the heroic charge of the Sasanian king Khusrau Parviz against rebel general Bahram Chubin amid a chaotic battlefield teeming with armored warriors, rearing horses, and swirling dust. Such scenes captured Iran's mythical and historical kings, blending legend wit...
About the Artist
Bashdan Qara|Abu'l Qasim Firdausi (Iranian|Iranian) · 1500 |0935 –1560 |1020
Iranian, active ca. 1525–1535|Iranian, Paj ca. 940/41–1020 Tus