Artwork preview

Bahram Gur Arrives at the House of a Merchant, text page (recto); Bahram Gur Slays a Dragon (verso), from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (940-1019 or 1025), known as the Great Mongol Shahnama

Cleveland Museum of Art

The image shows two pages from an old book. The left page is filled with text written in Arabic script, arranged in columns. The right page also has text at the top and bottom, but a large illustration takes up most of the space. The illustration depicts a man on horseback wearing a blue tunic and a gold helmet, holding a sword and shield. He appears to be attacking or killing a large dragon-like creature with a long tail and sharp teeth. The creature is gray with red accents. The background of the illustration includes blue sky, trees, and rocky mountains. The pages are yellowed and worn, suggesting age.

Artwork Details

Dimensions
900 × 592 px
Museum Record
View original
Palette

You May Also Like

The Tale of the Twelve Faces. "Bizhan Addresses the Army": Illustration from the Firdausi Shahnama (recto); The Tale of the Twelve Faces. "The Warriors Engage in Combat": Illustration from the Firdausi Shahnama (verso)
Bahram Gur Slays a Dragon (verso), from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (940-1019 or 1025), known as the Great Mongol Shahnama
Nushirwan Listens to the Owls (recto); the Story of Nushirwan and his Minister, "The Third Discourse on Diverse Events and Disorder in Life" (verso) from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami (1141-1209)
Rustam's seventh course: He kills the White Div, folio 124 from a Shah-nama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (Persian, about 934–1020)
The Tale of the Twelve Faces. "The Warriors Engage in Combat": Illustration from the Firdausi Shahnama (verso)
Text Page, Persian Verses (recto); Bahram Gur meets Arzu, the Daughter of Mahiyar (verso)
Episodes from the Reigns of Khusrau Parviz and Nushirwan from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (940–1019 or 1025)
Khusrau Parviz Fleeing Bahram Chubineh and Being Saved by Angel Sarush (recto) from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (940–1019 or 1025)
Persian Verses: The Fortieth Year of King Kisra Nushirwan's Reign and the Story of Buzurgmihr (recto); Portrait of Nushirwan the Just (verso) from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (940–1019 or 1025)
Qualities of Ringdoves (recto); On the Benefits of Quails (verso), from a Persian Manafi‘ al-Hayawan (The Benefits of Animals) of Abu Said Ubaid-Allah ibn Jibrail ibn Bakhtishu (died 1058–68)
Nushirwan Listens to the Owls (recto): Illustration and Text, Persian Verses, from a Manuscript of the Khamsa of Nizami, Makhzan al-Asrar [Treasure of Secrets]
Bahram Chubineh captured by Khusrau Parviz (verso), from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (940–1019 or 1025)
The Reign of Nushirwan, the Combat between the Khan of Chin and the Haitalians (verso) from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (940–1019 or 1025)
Portrait of Nushirwan the Just (verso) from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (940–1019 or 1025)
Bifolio from a Book of Hours: The Crucifixion (recto), Text (verso)
Rustam Lassoing his Horse, Rakhsh, in a Landscape (recto); Calligraphy, Persian Verses (verso)
From the Farhang-i Jahangiri (Persian-language Dictionary) compiled by Mir Jamal al-Din Husayn Inju of Shiraz (Persian, d. 1626)
An Illuminated Folio from the Royal Manuscript of the Farhang-i Jahangiri (recto)
Manuscript pages showing battle scenes
"Benefits of the Parts of Vultures" (From the Manafi' al-Haywan of Abu Sai'd Ubayd-Allay Ibn Bakhtishu) (verso)
Yusuf and Zulaykha (recto); Text Page, Persian Verses (verso)
Folio from a Qur'an
Rustam's seventh course: He kills the White Div, folio 124 from a Shah-nama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (Persian, about 934–1020)
An East African King Receives Three Emissaries, from a Khamsa of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi