"Gav and Talhand in Battle", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings)

Author Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian

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In this scene, the Indian princes Gav and Talhand battle over the kingdom of Hind. According to the Shahnama, the game of chess was invented to represent this battle, in which the brothers agreed to fight on a battlefield bordered by a deep trench from which neither could flee. The board represents the confined space of the field; the king dies when his way is blocked and all of his men have been defeated.

"Gav and Talhand in Battle", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings), Abu'l Qasim Firdausi (Iranian, Paj ca. 940/41–1020 Tus), Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

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