ManuscriptsPersian16th century

Bahram Chubina Slays Kut of Rum (painting, recto; text, verso), folio from a manuscript of the Shahnama by Firdawsi

1575-1590

Description

The Iranian military commander Bahram Chubina had rebelled against his king, Hurmuzd; forced Hurmuzd’s son and rightful heir, Khusraw Parviz, to flee to Rum; and usurped the throne. When Khusraw returned to Iran with reinforcements from the Byzantine emperor, Bahram gathered his army and prepared to do battle against him. One brave Byzantine, Kut of Rum, volunteered to ride to Bahram’s camp and challenge him to single combat. Khusraw and the rest of his men watched the ensuing contest from a mountaintop. The illustration shows the climax of the episode, when Bahram Chubina cleaves Kut’s chest with his sword. The pair battle in a rocky landscape, surrounded by warriors, banging kettledrums, and blaring horns. Soldiers just below the upper text box wear long, drooping headgear similar to that of Ottoman Janissaries, which probably identifies them as the Byzantine soldiers mentioned in Firdawsi’s text. Recto. Text corresponds with Ramazani (1963) vol. 5, p. 155, lines 3795-3804. Ramazani's subtitle for this section reads, "Battle between Khusraw and Bahram Chubina and the death of Kut Rumi." Verso. Text corresponds with Ramazani (1963), vol 5, pp. 155-57, lines 3805-3852. Subtitle reads, "Battle between Bahram Chubina and the Iranians."

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

42.5 x 28.2 cm (16 3/4 x 11 1/8 in.)

Provenance

[Mansour Gallery, London, by 1990 or 1992], sold; to Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood, Belmont, MA (1990 or 1992 - 2002), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2002.