"Rudaba Makes a Ladder of Her Tresses", Folio 72v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
ca. 1525
Medium
Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
Dimensions
Painting: H. 11 in. (27.9 cm) W. 7 1/4 in. (18.4 cm) Page: H. 18 1/2 in. (47 cm) W. 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm) Mat: H. 22 in. (55.9 cm) W. 16 in. (40.6 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Arthur A. Houghton Jr., 1970
Accession Number
1970.301.7
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite folio comes from the celebrated *Shahnama* (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, one of the most lavish illustrated manuscripts ever created in Persia. Painted around 1525 by the artist Qadimi, it depicts a tender moment from the epic romance between the hero Zal and the beautiful princess Rudaba. In the scene, Rudaba famously lowers her long tresses from a tower, creating a living ladder so her beloved can climb to her—an act of courage and devotion drawn from the 10th-century poet Firdausi’s masterpiece. Created during the reign of the Safavid ruler Shah Tahmasp I, this page belon...
About the Artist
Qadimi|Abu'l Qasim Firdausi (Iranian|Iranian) · 1500 |0935 –1590 |1020
Iranian, active ca. 1525–1565|Iranian, Paj ca. 940/41–1020 Tus