2002.50.167: The Iranians Repel Afrasiyab’s Night Attack (painting, recto; text, verso), folio from a manuscript of the Shahnama by Firdawsi
ManuscriptsIdentification and Creation
- Object Number
- 2002.50.167
- Title
- The Iranians Repel Afrasiyab’s Night Attack (painting, recto; text, verso), folio from a manuscript of the Shahnama by Firdawsi
- Classification
- Manuscripts
- Work Type
- manuscript folio
- Date
- 1562
- Places
- Creation Place: Middle East, Iran, Shiraz
- Period
- Safavid period
- Culture
- Persian
- Persistent Link
- https://hvrd.art/o/146572
Physical Descriptions
- Medium
- Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
- Dimensions
- 37.3 x 24 cm (14 11/16 x 9 7/16 in.)
Provenance
- Recorded Ownership History
- [Christies, London, 17 October 1995, lot no. 79]. [Mansour Gallery, London, before 1998], sold; to Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood, Belmont, MA (by 1998-2002), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2002.
Acquisition and Rights
- Credit Line
- Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art
- Accession Year
- 2002
- Object Number
- 2002.50.167
- Division
- Asian and Mediterranean Art
- Contact
- am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
- Permissions
-
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Descriptions
- Description
-
The war between Iran and Turan continued, finally bringing about the defeat of Afrasiyab’s forces by those of Kay Khusraw.
This illustration shows Rustam, who can be identified by his animal-skin garb, helping rout the Turanians, while Afrasiyab looks on in consternation, his emotion indicated by his finger-to-mouth gesture. This painting falls within the textual description of a night attack by the Turanians, although it depicts a daytime event. Despite the overall delicacy and refinement of the Safavid style, the artist has convincingly conveyed the gruesomeness of combat by littering the flowery landscape with dismembered bodies and severed heads.
Published Catalogue Text: In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art , written 2013
85 A–B
Double page: The Iranians Repel Afrasiyab’s Night Attack
A. Verso: text, concerning the battle between Afrasiyab and Kay Khusraw
Folio: 37.1 × 24.1 cm (14 5/8 × 9 1/2 in.)
2002.50.168
B. Recto: text and illustration
Folio: 37.3 × 24 cm (14 11/16 × 9 7/16 in.)
2002.50.167
The war between Iran and Turan continued, finally bringing about the defeat of Afrasiyab’s forces by those of Kay Khusraw. This illustration shows Rustam, who can be identified by his animal-skin garb, helping rout the Turanians, while Afrasiyab looks on in consternation, his emotion indicated by his finger-to-mouth gesture. This painting falls within the textual description of a night attack by the Turanians, although it depicts a daytime event. Despite the overall delicacy and refinement of the Safavid style, the artist has convincingly conveyed the gruesomeness of combat by littering the flowery landscape with dismembered bodies and severed heads.
Mika M. Natif
Publication History
- Mary McWilliams, ed., In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, exh. cat., Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2013), p. 230, cat. 85 A-B, ill.
Exhibition History
- In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/31/2013 - 06/01/2013
- 32Q: 2550 Islamic, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 04/17/2019 - 11/06/2019
Related Objects
Verification Level
This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu