"Rustam Avenges His Own Impending Death", Folio 472r from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp

Author Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian
 Painting attributed to Bashdan Qara Iranian

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 462

Rustam’s wicked half‑brother Shaghad conceived a plan to kill him by preparing a hunting ground with pits filled with upright spears. When Rustam went hunting near these traps, he fell into a pit and was impaled. Realizing that Shaghad, watching from behind a tree, had devised the plot, Rustam sent an arrow through the tree and killed Shaghad, shortly before he himself died. Although the figures are devoid of emotion, the barren setting accentuates the starkness and finality of the scene.

"Rustam Avenges His Own Impending Death", Folio 472r from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, Abu'l Qasim Firdausi (Iranian, Paj ca. 940/41–1020 Tus), Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper

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