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Meeting of a Prince and Poet

mid-16th century
Not on view
This unfinished work depicts the meeting of a noble young horseman and an older man on foot. Although no rulings for text blocks appear on the page, it may well have been conceived as a manuscript illustration in which a princely figure enounters a humble subject who dispenses useful philosophy. After outlining the figures and foreground elements, the artist painted the gold sky and the rocky landscape. Before painting over the lightly drawn facial details, the artist altered the position of the horse's back right foot. Such an image provides a rare glimpse of the sequence from ink to paint in Persian painting.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Meeting of a Prince and Poet
  • Date: mid-16th century
  • Geography: Attributed to Iran, Tabriz
  • Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper
  • Dimensions: Page: H. 13 5/8 in. (34.6 cm)
    W. 8 3/4in. (22.2cm)
    Mat size: H. 19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm)
    W. 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm)
  • Classification: Codices
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1918
  • Object Number: 18.26.1
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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"The Feast of Sada", Folio 22v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian, Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
"The Feast of Sada", Folio 22v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
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"Isfandiyar's Third Course: He Slays a Dragon", Folio 434v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian, Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
"Isfandiyar's Third Course: He Slays a Dragon", Folio 434v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
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"Tahmuras Defeats the Divs", Folio 23v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian, Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
"Tahmuras Defeats the Divs", Folio 23v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
Abu'l Qasim Firdausi
Sultan Muhammad
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"The Final Joust of the Rooks: Gudarz Versus Piran", Folio 346r from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian, Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
"The Final Joust of the Rooks: Gudarz Versus Piran", Folio 346r from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
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ca. 1525–30
"Zahhak is Told His Fate", Folio 29v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian, Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
"Zahhak is Told His Fate", Folio 29v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
Abu'l Qasim Firdausi
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