Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; recto: text, Faridun captures Zahhak; verso: Faridun strikes Zahhak with the ox-headed mace

Object Details

• Artist

  Attributed to Sultan-Muhammad (active ca. 1520s-1540s)

• Patron

  Shah Tahmasp (1524-1576)

• Description

  Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black nasta'liq script; recto: text: Faridun captures Zahhak, 4 columns with illuminated panels and triangular illuminations, 12 lines of text written diagonally; verso: illustration and text: Faridun strikes Zahhak with the ox-headed mace, inscription, six lines of text.

  Border: The text and the painting are set in gold, green, and blue rulings on gold-sprinkled paper.

• Inscriptions

  On the crenellation: Be Kam to bada hame kar-i to khudavand gitti negahdar to

  “I Hope the God of the universe will be your protector/ I hope you obtain what you desire"

  “I Hope the God of the universe will be your protector/ I hope you obtain what you desire"

• Label

  The Shahnama, the Persian national epic, was composed about 1010 by the poet Firdawsi. Recounting the history and myths of Iran from the rise of the legendary Pishdaddian dynasty to the fall of the historical Sasanians in 651 C.E., the text's colorful mixture of fact and fantasy provided artists with many obvious subjects for pictorial representation.

  The hero Feridun enters the story towards the beginning, when the evil king Zahak dreams that Feridun would strike him down with an ox-headed mace and put an end to his reign of darkness. Feridun, whose father had been killed by Zahak, wages various campaigns against the tyrant and even manages to enthrone himself in Zahak's castle. When Zahak discovers this, enraged and wielding a scimitar, he lowers himself through a window into the castle's interior to slay Feridun, who is holding court with some of his female companions. Before Zahak can complete his grisly task, as predicted, Feridun strikes him down with his ox-headed mace. As he is about to deliver a second and final blow, the angel Surush swoops down, proclaiming, "His time has not yet come," and tells Feridun to put Zahak in chains and take him to Mount Damavand to perish.

  This bold, tightly conceived painting with its elegant, sinuous lines and vibrant palette, energized by exquisite details, brilliantly captures the excitement and tension of the moment. Reverberating throughout the composition, spiraling arabesques, which are counter-balanced by the heavy, off-centered throne and the "weight" of the architecture, accentuate the drama of Feridun's victory over Zahak, and by extension, that of good over evil—a central theme in the Shahnama.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Engaging the Senses (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  The Shahnama: 1000 Years of the Persian Book of Kings (October 23, 2010 to April 17, 2011)

  Beyond the Legacy--Anniversary Acquisitions of the Freer Gallery of Art (October 11, 1998 to April 11, 1999)

  Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016)

• Origin

  Tabriz, Iran

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Manuscript

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1500s, 1610s, 1600s, 1590s, 1540s, 1650s, 1530s, 1640s, 1520s, 1630s, 1510s, 1620s, 1580s, 1730s, 1690s, 1570s, 1680s, 1560s, 1670s, 1550s, 1660s

• Name

  Sultan-Muhammad, Shah Tahmasp

• Place

  Tabriz

• Topic

  S?afavid dynasty, 1501-1736, Art, Ceremonial maces, Arts of the Islamic World, Illumination, Faridun, Zahhak, Shahnama, Epic literature

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Object Type

  Manuscripts