ManuscriptsPersian16th century

The Execution of Afrasiyab (painting, recto; text, verso), folio from a manuscript of the Shahnama by Firdawsi

1562

Description

The Turanians were at last defeated in battle, but their king, Afrasiyab, escaped. Eventually Hum, a recluse, discovered Afrasiyab hiding in a cave in the mountains and brought him to Kay Khusraw. In revenge for Siyavush’s murder, the Iranian king put Afrasiyab to death in the same manner, beheading him with a sword and collecting his blood in a basin. Afrasiyab’s brother Garsivaz, who had been present at Siyavush’s execution, was also put to death. The illustration shows the beheading of the old Turanian king, witnessed rather than performed by Kay Khusraw, who sits on a throne surrounded by his retinue. Afrasiyab’s severed head rolls leftward off the carpet. In another departure from the text, the artist has omitted the basin used to catch Afrasiyab’s blood.

Classification

Manuscripts

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and silver 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 23.8 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.