"Rustam Shoots His Half-brother Shaghad through a Plane Tree", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi

Author Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 455

Rustam, the great epic hero of the Iran, was lured by his treacherous half-brother to ride over a hidden pit implanted with spears, which impaled him and his trusted horse Raksh. However, with the last vestige of his strength, Rustam was able to shoot his murderer through the tree behind which he was lurking. This miniature is in the forthright style associated with the city of Shiraz under the Aq Qoyonlu (White Sheep) Turkoman domination. The compositions are usually simplified and balanced, while the overall effect is both vigorous and decorative.

"Rustam Shoots His Half-brother Shaghad through a Plane Tree", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi, Abu'l Qasim Firdausi (Iranian, Paj ca. 940/41–1020 Tus), Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

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