"Manuchihr Welcomes Sam but Orders War upon Mihrab", Folio 80v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
Medium
Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
Dimensions
Painting: H. 11 1/16 in. (28.1 cm) W. 7 1/4 in. (18.4 cm) Entire Page: H. 18 9/16 in. (47.1 cm) W. 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Arthur A. Houghton Jr., 1970
Accession Number
1970.301.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite folio, titled *"Manuchihr Welcomes Sam but Orders War upon Mihrab"* (Folio 80v), comes from the *Shahnama* (Book of Kings), the monumental epic poem by Abu'l Qasim Firdausi completed in the early 11th century. Composed of some 50,000 couplets, the *Shahnama* chronicles Iran's mythical and historical kings, blending legend with moral lessons on kingship, loyalty, and conflict. Here, the artist 'Abd al-'Aziz captures a pivotal moment in the reign of King Manuchihr, who receives the hero Sam warmly while decreeing war on the usurper Mihrab, embodying the epic's themes of justice an...
About the Artist
'Abd al-'Aziz|Abu'l Qasim Firdausi ( |Iranian) · 1500 |0935 –1550 |1020
active first half 16th century|Iranian, Paj ca. 940/41–1020 Tus