"The Funeral of Isfandiyar", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings)

"The Funeral of Isfandiyar", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings)

"The Funeral of Isfandiyar", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings)

Author:
    Abu'l Qasim Firdausi (935–1020)
Object Name:
    Folio from an illustrated manuscript
Date:
    1330s
Geography:
    Attributed to Iran, Tabriz
Medium:
    Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions:
    Page: H. 22 13/16 in. (58 cm)
    W. 15 3/4 in. (40 cm)
    Mat: H. 24 in. (61 cm)
    W. 19 1/2 in. (49.5 cm)
Classification:
    Codices
Credit Line:
    Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1933

From a dispersed copy of the Ilkhanid manuscript referred to as the Great Mongol Shahnama, this folio depicts the funeral procession of the Persian hero Isfandiyar. The bier is accompanied by a group of mourners, some wailing and pulling at their hair, which is worn loose as a sign of mourning. The painting technique, with its strong linear quality and thin washes of color, recalls contemporary Chinese brush painting.

Location : Metropolitan Museum of Art