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"Bahram Gur Pins the Coupling Onagers", Folio 568r from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp

Author Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian
Painting attributed to Mir Sayyid 'Ali Iranian, active India
ca. 1530–35
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 462
One day, Shah Bahram and a large party of horsemen were hunting in a plain overrun with onagers, or wild asses. Letting fly an arrow at a buck mounting his mate, Bahram pinned them together and earned the nickname Bahram Gur, or "Onagers" Bahram. Distinguished for his meticulous attention to detail, Mir Sayyid 'Ali had been raised in the Safavid artists’ atelier under the tutelage of his father, Mir Musavvir, the second director of Shah Tahmasp’s Shahnama project. The simurgh on Bahram Gur’s saddlecloth and intricate designs on his quiver and saddle are typical of Mir Sayyid 'Ali’s work.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: "Bahram Gur Pins the Coupling Onagers", Folio 568r from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
  • Author: Abu'l Qasim Firdausi (Iranian, Paj ca. 940/41–1020 Tus)
  • Artist: Painting attributed to Mir Sayyid 'Ali (Iranian, active India, Tabriz ca. 1510–1570s Agra or Mecca)
  • Date: ca. 1530–35
  • Geography: Made in Iran, Tabriz
  • Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
  • Dimensions: Painting:
    H. 11 1/8 in. (28.3 cm)
    W. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm)
    Page:
    H. 18 9/16 in. (47.1 cm)
    W. 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm)
    Mat:
    H. 22 in. (55.9 cm)
    W. 16 in. (40.6 cm)
  • Classification: Codices
  • Credit Line: Gift of Arthur A. Houghton Jr., 1970
  • Object Number: 1970.301.62
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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