"The Final Joust of the Rooks: Gudarz Versus Piran", Folio 346r from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
Qasim ibn 'Ali|Aqa Mirak|Abu'l Qasim Firdausi
ca. 1525–30 · Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper · Islamic Art
The artist has captured the essentials of this tragic story with delicate sensitivity. The Iranian Gudarz has wounded the old Turanian warrior Piran, but in respect for his seasoned enemy, has offered him safe passage to the Turanian army. Piran, seen through a gap in the rocks, refuses this, preferring the inevitable warrior’s death to surrender. The grooms in the foreground frame the scene, in which the poses of the two adversaries—Gudarz in pursuit, Piran skulking up the mountain—give visual expression to the essential dilemma of the story.
- Artist
- Qasim ibn 'Ali|Aqa Mirak|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
