Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); verso: Rustam slays Suhrab; recto: text

Object Details

• Description

  Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black nasta'liq script; recto: text, four columns, twenty-five lines; verso: illustration and text, Rustam slays Suhrab; one of a group of twenty-five folios.

  Border: The text is set in gold, red and blue rulings on cream-colored paper; the painting is set in gold, red and blue rulings on paper with birds and floral motifs.

• Label

  One of the most tragic stories in the Book of Kings is that of the hero Rustam and his son, Suhrab. Firdawsi maintains that in the course of his heroic deeds in Turan, Rustam marries the beautiful Turanian princess Tahmina. Their son, Suhrab, grows up in Rustam’s absence to become a great champion of the Turanians. Never having met his legendary father, Suhrab leaves Turan in search of Rustam. When the villainous Afrasiyab, the king of the Turanians, finds out about Suhrab’s intentions, he plots a deadly confrontation between father and son, in which neither will know the other’s identity. Indeed, Rustam and Suhrab meet on the battlefield and Rustam, “swiftly drew a dagger from his belt, and tore the breast of that stout-hearted youth.” Once he discovers his victim’s identity, Rustam “wept a bloody stream and tore his hair.” The dying Suhrab consoles his father and blames the inevitability of fate for their first and final encounter.

• Provenance

  To 1910

  Reza Khan Monif, Paris, France. [1]

  From 1910 to 1942

  Henri Vever (1854-1942), Paris and Noyers, France, purchased from Reza Khan Monif, Paris, France on October 14, 1910. [2]

  From 1942 to 1986

  Family member, Paris and Boulogne, France, by inheritance from Henri Vever, Paris and Noyers, France. [3]

  From 1986

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, purchased from a family member, Paris and Boulogne, France. [4]

  Notes:

  [1] See Susan Nemazee, "Appendix 7: Chart of Recent Provenance" in An Annotated and Illustrated Checklist of the Vever Collection, Glenn D. Lowry et al. (Washington, DC: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1988), p. 407. See also Glen D. Lowry and Susan Nemazee, "Appendix 2: Ledger of Acquisitions, 1894 and 1907-17" in A Jeweler’s Eye: Islamic Arts of the Book from the Vever Collection (Washington, DC: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1988), p. 230.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] See the Agreement for the Purchase and Sale of the Henri Vever Collection of January 9, 1986, Collections Management Office.

  [4] See note 3.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

  The Heroic Past: The Persian Book of Kings (June 4 to October 29, 2000)

  The Art of Painting a Story: Narrative Images from Iran (December 22, 1991 to May 10, 1992)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Henri Vever (1854-1942)

  Reiza Khan Monif (1850/1851-1923)

  Francois Mautin (1907-2003)

• Origin

  Shiraz, Iran

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler

• Type

  Manuscript

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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  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

  Mautin, Francois Albert, Monif, Reiza Khan, Vever, Henri

• Place

  Shiraz

• Topic

  S?afavid dynasty, 1501-1736, Art, Rustam, Henri Vever collection, Arts of the Islamic World, Sohrab, Death, Shahnama, Epic literature

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Object Type

  Manuscripts