Abu'l Qasim Firdausi | "Kai Khusrau Rides Bihzad for the First Time", Folio 212r from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp

Title: "Kai Khusrau Rides Bihzad for the First Time", Folio 212r 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 Qasim ibn 'Ali (Iranian, active ca. 1525–60)

Date: ca. 1525–30

Geography: Made in Iran, Tabriz

Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper

Dimensions: Painting:
H. 11 1/8 in. (28.2 cm)
W. 7 1/4 in. (18.4 cm)
Page:
H. 18 5/8 in. (47.3 cm)
W. 12 5/8 in. (32.1 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

Accession Number: 1970.301.33

Kai Khusrau Rides Bihzad for the First Time

The paladin Giv has found Kai Khusrau, and must now flee from Turan with him and his mother. But first the prince must capture his father's horse, unridden since the murder of Siyavush. Bihzad recognizes Kai Khusrau as the son of his former master and allows the youth to mount him. The two speed away so swiftly that Giv thinks the horse must surely be the Devil, Ahriman, in disguise.

The painting faithfully illustrates this moment, even showing the startled Giv "biting the finger of astonishment," as this convention has been described. This miniature is partially imbued with the lyric quality inherent in Persian painting, and is enhanced by such charming extraneous details of the natural world as the rabbits in their burrow and the ibex scratching its ear while reaching for a leafy bough. The windswept trees and ducks tumbling in flight are inherited from Turkoman painting, while the delicate drawing of figures and patterns reflects the careful discipline of the Herat school. Sultan Muhammad managed to capture the essence of both traditions and pass them on to his assistants.

Marie Lukens Swietochowski in [Berlin 1981]

Shah Tahmasp, Iran (until 1568; gifted to Selim II); Sultan Selim II (Turkish), Istanbul (from 1568); Sultan Selim III, Istanbul (by 1800); Baron Edmond James de Rothschild (French), Paris (by 1903–d. 1934); his son, Baron Maurice de Rothschild, Paris and Geneva (1934–d. 1957); his son, Baron Edmond Adolphe de Rothschild, Paris and Geneva (1957–59); [ Stiebel Ltd., New York, until 1959; sold to Houghton]; Arthur A. Houghton Jr., New York (1959–70; gifted to MMA)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Tales from a King's Book of Kings," May 4–December 31, 1972.

Corning, NY. Corning Museum of Glass. "Tales from a King's Book of Kings," November 17, 1973–January 31, 1974, no. 31.

Baltimore. Baltimore Museum of Art. "Tales from a King's Book of Kings," February 12–March 31, 1974, no. 31.

Berlin. Museum für Islamische Kunst, Pergamonmuseum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. "The Arts of Islam. Masterpieces from the M.M.A.," June 15, 1981–August 8, 1981, no. 75.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Making The Met, 1870–2020," August 29, 2020–January 3, 2021.

Mohl, Jules, ed. Le Livre des Rois. Vol. I. Paris, 1876. pp. 394–97.

Migeon, Gaston. "Exposition des Arts Musulmans au Musee des Arts Decoratifs." Les Arts no. 16 (1903).

Welch, Stuart Cary. A King's Book of Kings: the Shah-nameh of Shah Tahmasp. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1972. p. 193.

"The Houghton Shah-nameh Miniatures." In Tales from a King's Book of Kings. Corning, NY: Corning Museum of Glass, 1973. no. 31, p. 41.

"Masterpieces from The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York." In The Arts of Islam. Berlin, 1981. no. 75, pp. 188–89, ill. p. 189 (b/w).

Dickson, Martin, and Stuart Cary Welch. The Houghton Shahnameh. Vol. vols. I & II. Cambridge, Mass. and London, England: Harvard University Press, 1981. vol. II, ill. pl. 130 (b/w).

Alexander, David. Furusiyya: Catalogue. vol. 2. Riyadh,Saudi Arabia: King Abdulaziz Public Library, 1996. no. 173, pp. 204–5, ill. p. 205 (color).

Bayer, Andrea, and Laura D. Corey, ed. Making the Met, 1870–2020. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2020. p. 208, ill. fig. 223.

Canby, Sheila R. The Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp : The Persian Book of Kings. Madrid, 2011. p. 150, ill. folio 212r (color).

Canby, Sheila R. The Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp : The Persian Book of Kings. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014. pp. 192, 48, 325, ill. fol. 212r, full page ill. p. 192; detail pp. 48, 325.