"Bahram Chubina Slays the Lion-Ape", Folio 715v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
Mir Musavvir|Qasim ibn 'Ali|Abu'l Qasim Firdausi
ca. 1530–35 · Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper · Islamic Art
To thank the Khaqan of Chin for granting him safe haven, Bahram Chubina resolved to rid his host’s land of Kappi the lion-ape, a ferocious creature that had devoured the Khaqan’s daughter. Mir Musavvir delighted in the depiction of the red- and green-eyed monster, rendering every detail of its scaly skin and bloody wounds with fastidious care. The bystanders raise fingers to their lips in astonishment as Bahram Chubina delivers the coup de grace.
- Artist
- Mir Musavvir|Qasim ibn 'Ali|Abu'l Qasim Firdausi
- Date
- ca. 1530–35
- Medium
- Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
- Department
- Islamic Art
- Credit line
- Gift of Arthur A. Houghton Jr., 1970
