"Meeting of Bahram Gur with a Princess", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings)
mid-16th century
Medium
Ink, watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
H. 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm) W. 9 5/8 in. (24.4 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1938
Accession Number
38.13
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of Persian epic poetry with this exquisite folio from a *Shahnama* (Book of Kings), titled *"Meeting of Bahram Gur a Princess."* Created in the mid-16th, it illustrates a romantic encounter from the tales of Bahram Gur, the legendaryasanian king famed for his prowess as a hunter and lover. The *Shahnama*, composed by the poet Abu'l Qasim Firdausi around1010 CE, chronicles Iran's mythical kings and heroes, blending history, legend, and moral lessons in over 50,000 couplets. This scene captures the poetic drama through dynamic human figures on horseback, evoking the c...
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...