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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

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Details
Title

The fire ordeal of Seyavash, from a Shahnameh

Artist

Iran, unknown artist (Iranian)

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

fires

gold

horse

illuminated manuscripts

ink

Islamic World dynastic styles and periods

leaves

paintings

paper

Persian

watercolor

Place Made

Created in: Isfahan

Description

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.

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