Drawing of Sasanian rock relief: Ardashir I (r. A.D. 224-241) and the Zoroastrian divinity Ohrmazd [Ahura Mazda] at Naqsh-i Rustam, southern Iran
This drawing of a Sasanian rock relief at Naqsh-i Rustam, Iran, depicts the investiture of Ardashir I (r. 224-241), who receives the ring of office from the supreme Zoroastrian god Ohrmazd, also known as Ahura Mazda. Both king and god are on horseback; the king wears a caftan, the prestigious riding costume of the Sasanian period, and his fan-bearer stands behind him. The horses trample the bodies of the last Parthian king, Ardavan, and the Zoroastrian evil spirit Ahriman. The drawing is one of several in the Metropolitan’s collection made by an Iranian artist Lutf-'Ali Shirazi (1998.6.1; 1998.6.2; 1998.6.4): they are comparable to renderings of Sasanian carved and rock monuments produced by early European travelers to Iran.
Artwork Details
- Title: Drawing of Sasanian rock relief: Ardashir I (r. A.D. 224-241) and the Zoroastrian divinity Ohrmazd [Ahura Mazda] at Naqsh-i Rustam, southern Iran
- Artist: Lutf-'Ali Shirazi (Iranian)
- Date: A.H. 1226/1812 CE
- Geography: Iran
- Culture: Qajar
- Medium: Paper, pencil, ink
- Dimensions: 8 1/16 × 12 1/2 in. (20.5 × 31.7 cm)
- Credit Line: Gift of Sassan Mokhtarzadeh, 1998
- Object Number: 1998.6.3
- Curatorial Department: Ancient West Asian Art
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Lutf-'Ali Shirazi
A.H. 1226/1812 CE
Lutf-'Ali Shirazi
A.H. 1226/1812 CE
Lutf-'Ali Shirazi
early 19th century
Ahmad Naqqash
1838 CE
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