ManuscriptsPersian16th century

Court of Gayumars (painting, recto; text, verso), folio from a manuscript of the Shahnama by Firdawsi

1562

Description

Gayumars was the legendary first king of Iran, associated with the beginning of civilization and an organized social order. He and his people lived in the mountains and wore clothes made of leopard skins. The court was prosperous and his subjects content: animals and humans alike obeyed the king, who was blessed with divine power (farr). Gayumars had a son, Siyamak, whom he adored and who was loved by all save a jealous creature called Ahriman. The large and densely detailed illustration shows the king, seated on a tiger skin, attended by his court; like him, they are dressed in leopard pelts. Siyamak sits to the left of Gayumars, and the two are encircled by courtiers and animals. The rocks of their mountain home have human faces, as does a sun that shines from behind a crag in the upper left corner. Near the sun, a demonic figure peers at a bear hurling a rock. Such playful vignettes are characteristic of Persianate painting of the time and can also be found in the illustrations of the Shahnama made for the Safavid ruler Shah Tahmasp. The red demon may represent Ahriman, the enemy of humankind.

Classification

Manuscripts

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Culture

Persian

Period

Safavid period

Century

16th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Islamic & Later Indian Art

Dimensions

37.2 x 23.4 cm (14 5/8 x 9 3/16 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.