"Bahram Gur Shows His Skill Hunting, while Fitna Watches", Folio from a Haft Paykar (Seven Portraits) of Nizami of Ganja
Excellence in the pursuits of hunting and archery were essential to a prince’s education, making him a stronger ruler and a formidable warrior. The Sasanian king Bahram V, also known as Bahram Gur, tries to impress his slave girl Fitna at the hunt. Instead she challenges him to pin an onager’s hoof to its ear. When he completes the difficult task, she angers him by attributing his skills to mere practice, a claim he later comes to accept.
Artwork Details
- Title: "Bahram Gur Shows His Skill Hunting, while Fitna Watches", Folio from a Haft Paykar (Seven Portraits) of Nizami of Ganja
- Author: Nizami (present-day Azerbaijan, Ganja 1141–1209 Ganja)
- Date: mid-16th century
- Geography: Attributed to Iran
- Medium: Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper
- Dimensions: Painting: H. 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm)
W. 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm)
Page: H. 13 1/4 in. (33.7 cm)
W. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm)
Mat: H. 19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm)
W. 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm ) - Classification: Codices
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1930
- Object Number: 30.56
- Curatorial Department: Islamic Art
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Multiple artists/makers
dated 931 AH/1524–25 CE
Nizami
16th century
Nizami
ca. 1625–30
Nizami
ca. 1620–30
Nizami
ca. 1620–30
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