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"Rustam's Fourth Course, He Cleaves a Witch", Folio 120v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp

Author Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian
Painting attributed to Qadimi Iranian
ca. 1525
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 462
The hero Rustam underwent seven tests of valor on his way to rescue Shah Kai Kavus. The artist has illustrated the climax of Rustam’s fourth course when the beautiful maiden who had beguiled him turned back into the witch she really was, to be dispatched by his sword. The sorcerer in the background, raising his hands in horror, has been borrowed from Turkmen artistic sources, while the profile of the sorceress is an exaggerated version of the conventional one for the old retainer or crone. Note the faces of animals and humans incorporated in the rocks, a favorite element of the early paintings of Tahmasp’s Shahnama.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: "Rustam's Fourth Course, He Cleaves a Witch", Folio 120v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
  • Author: Abu'l Qasim Firdausi (Iranian, Paj ca. 940/41–1020 Tus)
  • Artist: Painting attributed to Qadimi (Iranian, active ca. 1525–1565)
  • Date: ca. 1525
  • Geography: Made in Iran
  • Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
  • Dimensions: Painting:
    H. 11 3/16 in. (28.5 cm)
    W. 7 5/16 in. (18.6 cm)
    Page:
    H. 18 5/8 in. (47.3 cm)
    W. 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm)
    Mat:
    H. 22 in. (55.9 cm)
    W. 16 in. (40.6 cm)

  • Classification: Codices
  • Credit Line: Gift of Arthur A. Houghton Jr., 1970
  • Object Number: 1970.301.17
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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"The Murder of Iraj," Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi, Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian, Ink, watercolor, and gold on paper
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"Zahhak Brought as a Prisoner before Faridun", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings), Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian, Ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper
"Zahhak Brought as a Prisoner before Faridun", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings)
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