"The Wedding of Siyavush and Farangis", Folio 185v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp

Qasim ibn 'Ali|Mir Musavvir|Abu'l Qasim Firdausi

ca. 1525–30 · Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper · Islamic Art

Circumstances of his father’s making force Siyavush, son of the Iranian shah Kai Kavus, into exile in Turan, the neighboring power and chief enemy of Iran. There he marries Farangis, daughter of the king Afrasiyab, and fathers the future shah of Iran, Kai Khusrau. In this painting, the couple celebrate their wedding night inside a pavilion, while musicians serenade them from the terrace. Mir Musavvir, the artist who supervised this painting, was known for his romantic temperament, expressed by the lovers’ embrace and the merry entertainers.

Artist

Qasim ibn 'Ali|Mir Musavvir|Abu'l Qasim Firdausi

Date

ca. 1525–30

Medium

Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Gift of Arthur A. Houghton Jr., 1970