The fire ordeal of Seyavash, from a Shahnameh
Iran, unknown artist, The fire ordeal of Seyavash, from a Shahnameh, ca. 1630 or later, ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Edwin Binney, 3rd, public domain, 72.37.5
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
The fire ordeal of Seyavash, from a Shahnameh
- Artist
- Date
ca. 1630 or later
- Period
Safavid Empire (1502-1736)
- Medium
ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
sheet: 11 11/16 in x 6 1/4 in
- Collection Area
Asian Art
- Category
Paintings
Islamic Art
- Object Type
painting
manuscript leaf
- Culture
Iranian
Persian
- Credit Line
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Edwin Binney, 3rd
- Accession Number
72.37.5
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
- Place Made
Created in: Isfahan
This painting and 70.27.4 illustrate the same moment in the Shahnameh. Although separated by two centuries and made in different cities, their similarities are striking, yet one is not a direct copy of the other. The pair of paintings illustrates a common aspect of traditional Persian painting, the transmission of a composition across surprising distances of space and time.
Several factors contributed to this phenomenon, including the mobility of patrons, artists, and books; and an apprenticeship system in which young artists learned their trade by copying older models. Perhaps most important, however, was a cultural milieu in which patrons looked to the past to legitimize the present.