"Gav and Talhand in Battle", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings)

Abu'l Qasim Firdausi

ca. 1430–40 · Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper · Islamic Art

In this scene, the Indian princes Gav and Talhand battle over the kingdom of Hind. According to the Shahnama, the game of chess was invented to represent this battle, in which the brothers agreed to fight on a battlefield bordered by a deep trench from which neither could flee. The board represents the confined space of the field; the king dies when his way is blocked and all of his men have been defeated.

Artist

Abu'l Qasim Firdausi

Date

ca. 1430–40

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

The Grinnell Collection, Bequest of William Milne Grinnell, 1920