"Zahhak is Told His Fate", Folio 29v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
Medium
Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
Dimensions
Painting: H. 7 3/8 in. (18.7 cm) W. 12 15/16 in. (32.9 cm) Page: H. 12 9/16 in. (31.9 cm) W. 18 1/2 in. (47 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
1970.301.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold "Zahhak is Told Fate," Folio 29v from the *Shahnama (Book of Kings)* of Tahmasp, a jewel of Persian manuscript art created around 1524. This opaque watercolor, ink, silver and gold illumination on paper captures a pivotal moment from the epic poem by Abu'l Qasim Firdausi, 11th-century master storyteller. Zahhak, the tyrannical serpent-shouldered king symbolizing evil in Persian mythology, learns his doomed destiny from the divine messenger, blending drama and moral allegory in the grand narrative of Iran's mythical kings. Painted by the celebrated Safavid artist Sultan Muhammad, this f...
About the Artist
Sultan Muhammad|Abu'l Qasim Firdausi (Iranian|Iranian|Iranian) · 1500 |0935 |1500 –1550 |1020 |1550
Iranian, active first half 16th century|Iranian, Paj ca. 940/41–1020 Tus|Iranian, active first half 16th century