"Isfandiyar's Fourth Course: He Slays a Sorceress", Folio 435v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
Author Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian
Painting attributed to Qasim ibn 'Ali Iranian
Workshop director Aqa Mirak Iranian
Not on view
The hero Isfandiyar performs a series of feats, or "courses," parallel to those of Rustam. In this scene, Isfandiyar has slain a sorceress, who lies bleeding in the foreground next to a mountain stream whose once-silver water has tarnished to black. The squat figures reflect Qasim ibn 'Ali’s grounding in Turkmen painting, while the dramatically piled rocks and clouds are elements that were shared by painters of both Turkmen Tabriz and Timurid Herat background.
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