"The Fire Ordeal of Siyavush", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi
Abu'l Qasim Firdausi
dated A.H. 887/1482 CE
Medium
Ink, watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
H. 12 3/16 in. (31 cm) W. 7 15/16 in. (20.2 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1945
Accession Number
45.150
Tags
MenWomenFireHorses
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...