Rustam Shoots his Half-Brother in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, August 2019

"Rustam Shoots His Half-brother Shaghad through a Plane Tree", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi
dated A.H. 887/A.D. 1482

Object Details

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

Author: Abu'l Qasim Firdausi (935–1020)

Date: dated A.H. 887/A.D. 1482

Geography: Made in Iran, Shiraz

Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Dimensions: H. 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm)
W. 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm)

Classification: Codices

Credit Line: Samuel D. Lee Fund, 1940

Accession Number: 40.38.2


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.


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/449688