Frieze Tile with Bahram Gur and Azada, ca. 1270–75
Iran (Takht-i Sulaiman)
Fritware, overglaze luster-painted; 31.5 x 32.3 cm (12 3/8 x 12 3/4 in.)
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Audio
Philippe de Montebello:
This frieze tile draws from the famous national epic, Shahnama or Book of Kings, and it tells a story. It shows the hero Bahram Gur, riding a camel with his favorite slave, Azada, who is playing the harp. Bahram Gur is trying to show his prowess by hunting antelopes.
Curator Stefano Carboni tells you more:
And Azada at some point challenged him to turn a male antelope into a female, and vice versa. And so Bahram Gur of course immediately shot two arrows in order to cut off the horns of a male antelope, and then shot two arrows in the head of a female gazelle in order to make her have horns.
And Azada said, "Oh yes, it's very easy to do this." And so Bahram Gur was really enraged and he threw Azada off the camel and she was trampled to death, actually. So this is sort of a gruesome story but it's one of the most popular stories of the Shahnama, of the Book of Kings, and anyone who'd look at this tile would immediately recognize the story.
Philippe de Montebello:
Like many of the tiles at the summer palace, this tile was made with a technique called luster-painting that leaves a surface that is lustrous and shiny.
Stefano Carboni:
So one can imagine the interior of buildings entirely covered with tiles in luster—how they would shine with the candlelight inside or even outside buildings with the sun, or even better, the moon, shining during the night—how these would look from far away.
Excerpt from the Audio Guide produced in association with Antenna Audio. Available for rental in the exhibition galleries; see Events & Programs for details.
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