Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); verso: Jarira stabs herself by the bier of Farud

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black nasta’liq script; recto: four columns, twenty-five lines of text; verso: Jarira stabs herself by the bier of Farud; one of a group of five folios.
Border: The text and the painting are set in gold and black rulings on cream-colored paper.

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Historical period(s)
Timurid period, circa 1440
Medium
Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 32.1 x 23.3 cm (12 5/8 x 9 3/16 in)
Geography
Iran, Shiraz
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S1986.177
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Detached manuscript folio

Keywords
Abraham, death, Farud, funerary, Henri Vever collection, Iran, Shahnama, sultan, Timurid period (1378 - 1506), woman
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black nasta'liq script; recto: four columns, twenty-five lines of text; verso: Jarira stabs herself by the bier of Farud; one of a group of five folios.
Border: The text and the painting are set in gold and black rulings on cream-colored paper.

Label

[The composition is] characteristic of paintings that flourished in the 1440s under Prince Ibrahim Sultan (reigned 1414-34), Timur's grandson, in Shiraz. Although the figures are schematized, their expressiveness lends a distinct sense of excitement and drama to the paintings. The [illustration] depict[s] [a moment] in the Shahnama (Book of kings) and underscore[s] epic concepts, such heroism, pride, and the inevitability of human fate. [It] represents a battle between the heroes Rustam and Isfandiyar, which eventually leads to Isfandiyar's death, while the other portrays a mother's response to her son's death. For the Timurids, whose military and political authority depended largely on tribal loyalty and allegiances, such stories must have carried particular relevance.

Published References
  • Glenn D. Lowry, Milo Cleveland Beach, Elisabeth West FitzHugh, Susan Nemanzee, Janet Snyder. An Annotated and Illustrated Checklist of the Vever Collection. Washington and Seattle. cat. 96, pp. 84-85.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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