Hormuz Tied to a Column and Beaten, Page from a Manuscript of the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdawsicirca 1490

On view:

Geffen Galleries, Persianate Arts: The Ardabil Carpet and Manuscript Painting

Illustrated Persian manuscript page with columns of script in nastaliq above and below a framed miniature painting of a courtly interior scene with seven robed figures

Illustrated manuscript page with opaque watercolor and gold; interior court scene with four figures in Central Asian dress gathered near an arched window hung with layered purple, green, and orange drapery; blue tiled walls with white star motifs; floral blue border at top.

Title: Hormuz Tied to a Column and Beaten, Page from a Manuscript of the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdawsi
Place Made: Iran, Shiraz
Date Made: circa 1490
Period: Timurid (1370-1506)
Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions: 8 15/16 x 6 1/8 in. (22.70 x 15.56 cm)
Credit Line: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, gift of Joan Palevsky
Accession Number: M.73.5.463
Classification: Manuscripts
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: The Shahnama (Book of Kings), the Iranian national epic, was composed by Firdawsi and completed around 1010. It chronicles in verse the legendary and historical kings and heroes of the Persian Empire up to the Arab Muslim conquest in the seventh century. Illustrated manuscripts of the text, usually made under courtly patronage, only survive from the early fourteenth century onward; many of these were broken up in modern times for the sake of their paintings. Typically, the architectural settings and costumes of the depicted characters reflect the era in which the manuscript was made, drawing a connection between ancient kings and heroes and the then present-day court. On that account, the commissioning of such anachronistically illustrated manuscripts appealed to great kings and provincial rulers alike.

This illustration depicts the prophesied death of the historical ruler Hormuz (Hormozd IV, r. 579−90), whose overthrow and execution by his own brothers-in-law are presented by Firdawsi as just punishment for his unjust rule. Here, the scene captures the pivotal moment in the story when the two instigators string Hormuz up from one of the finials of his throne. A group of bystanders from the disgraced shah’s entourage bear witness to the deed as one tearfully wipes his eye and another beats his chest in grief. This folio is one of seven illustrations from the same Shahnama in LACMA’s collection (see M.73.5.23, .410, .411, .413, and .462).

2024
Selected Bibliography: Pal, Pratapaditya, ed. Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection. Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973.

Hormuz Tied to a Column and Beaten, Page from a Manuscript of the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdawsicirca 1490

On view:

Geffen Galleries, Persianate Arts: The Ardabil Carpet and Manuscript Painting

Title: Hormuz Tied to a Column and Beaten, Page from a Manuscript of the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdawsi
Place Made: Iran, Shiraz
Date Made: circa 1490
Period: Timurid (1370-1506)
Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions: 8 15/16 x 6 1/8 in. (22.70 x 15.56 cm)
Credit Line: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, gift of Joan Palevsky
Accession Number: M.73.5.463
Classification: Manuscripts
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: The Shahnama (Book of Kings), the Iranian national epic, was composed by Firdawsi and completed around 1010. It chronicles in verse the legendary and historical kings and heroes of the Persian Empire up to the Arab Muslim conquest in the seventh century. Illustrated manuscripts of the text, usually made under courtly patronage, only survive from the early fourteenth century onward; many of these were broken up in modern times for the sake of their paintings. Typically, the architectural settings and costumes of the depicted characters reflect the era in which the manuscript was made, drawing a connection between ancient kings and heroes and the then present-day court. On that account, the commissioning of such anachronistically illustrated manuscripts appealed to great kings and provincial rulers alike.

This illustration depicts the prophesied death of the historical ruler Hormuz (Hormozd IV, r. 579−90), whose overthrow and execution by his own brothers-in-law are presented by Firdawsi as just punishment for his unjust rule. Here, the scene captures the pivotal moment in the story when the two instigators string Hormuz up from one of the finials of his throne. A group of bystanders from the disgraced shah’s entourage bear witness to the deed as one tearfully wipes his eye and another beats his chest in grief. This folio is one of seven illustrations from the same Shahnama in LACMA’s collection (see M.73.5.23, .410, .411, .413, and .462).

2024
Selected Bibliography: Pal, Pratapaditya, ed. Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection. Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973.