© President and Fellows of Harvard College
Identification and Creation
Object Number
2002.50.128
People
Unknown Artist
Title
Story of Piran Convincing Siyavush to Take Farangis as his Wife (text, recto and 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/146956
Physical Descriptions
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
37.2 x 23.8 cm (14 5/8 x 9 3/8 in.)
Provenance
[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
2002.50.128
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions
Description
Estranged from his father (Kay Kavus), Prince Siyavush temporarily enjoyed the hospitality of the Turanian ruler Afrasiyab. At the urging of the Turanian commander-in-chief Piran, Siyavush asked for the hand of the king's daughter. Despite Afrasiyab's misgivings, he agreed to give the beautiful princess Farangis to Siyavush. In this painting, Farangis is receiving lavish wedding presents from Gulshahr, Piran's wife. The crowned man seated on a throne may be Afrasiyab.

Published Catalogue Text: In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art , written 2013
81 A–B

Double page: Preparations for the Marriage of Siyavush and Farangis
A. Verso: text, concerning Piran’s effort to convince Siyavush to take Farangis as his wife
Folio: 37.2 × 23.8 cm (14 5/8 × 9 3/8 in.)
2002.50.128
B. Recto: text and illustration
Folio: 37.1 × 23.8 cm (14 5/8 × 9 3/8 in.)
2002.50.25

Published: McWilliams 2002a, 15, fig. 9.

Estranged from his father, the king of Iran, Prince Siyavush temporarily enjoyed the hospitality of Afrasiyab, the ruler of Turan (see cat. 72). At the urging of the Turanian commander-in-chief, Piran, Siyavush asked for the hand of the king’s daughter, Farangis. Despite his misgivings, Afrasiyab agreed to give the beautiful princess to Siyavush.

In this painting, Farangis is receiving lavish wedding presents from Gulshahr, Piran’s wife, who kneels before her. Afrasiyab observes the gift giving from his throne. Attended by court officials, servants, musicians, and a dancer, the festive celebration takes place in two lavish tents pitched in a blooming garden.

Mika M. Natif

Publication History

Mary McWilliams, "With Quite Different Eyes: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art", Apollo, ed. David Ekserdjian (November 2002), vol. CLVI no. 490, pp. 12-16, p.15, fig.9

Mary McWilliams, ed., In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, exh. cat., Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2013)

Exhibition History

Closely Focused, Intensely Felt: Selections from the Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 08/07/2004 - 01/02/2005

In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/31/2013 - 06/01/2013

Related Works

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