"The Funeral of Isfandiyar," Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings)
Abu'l Qasim Firdausi
1330s · Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper · Islamic Art
From a dispersed copy of the Ilkhanid manuscript referred to as the Great Mongol Shahnama, this folio depicts the funeral procession of the Persian hero Isfandiyar. The bier is accompanied by a group of mourners, some wailing and pulling at their hair, which is worn loose as a sign of mourning. The painting technique, with its strong linear quality and thin washes of color, recalls contemporary Chinese brush painting.
- Artist
- Abu'l Qasim Firdausi
- Date
- 1330s
- Medium
- Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
- Department
- Islamic Art
- Credit line
- Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1933
