Double page: The Trial by Fire of Siyavush (painting, verso; text, recto), left-hand side of a double-page painting from a manuscript of the Shahnama by Firdawsi
| Artist | |
| Name | Unknown |
| Basic Info | |
| Period | Safavid period |
| Created in | Middle East, Iran, Shiraz |
| Century | 16th century |
| Culture | Persian |
| Dimensions | 42.8 x 28.3 cm (16 7/8 x 11 1/8 in.) |
| Harvard Museum | |
| Department | Department of Islamic & Later Indian Art |
| Division | Asian and Mediterranean Art |
| Contact | am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu |
Context
96 A–B Double page: The Trial by Fire of Siyavush A. Verso: text and illustration (of Sudaba watching from palace) Folio: 42.8 × 28.3 cm (16 7/8 × 11 1/8 in.) 2002.50.142 B. Recto: text and illustration (of Siyavush riding through the fire) Folio: 42.8 × 28.3 cm (16 7/8 × 11 1/8 in.) 2002.50.143 This double-page composition depicts the redemption of prince Siyavush, son of the Iranian king Kay Kavus. When Siyavush rebuffed the advances of his stepmother, Sudaba, she accused him of attempting to rape her. The king, after conducting an inconclusive investigation, asked both Sudaba and Siyavush to undergo a trial by fire. Sudaba refused; Siyavush agreed and emerged from the burning pyre unscathed and triumphant. The painting on the left shows Siyavush galloping on his black horse through the engulfing flames. The king, also mounted, watches intently from the rocks above. On the right is the brightly tiled royal palace, from which Sudaba, finger to mouth, peers down in amazement. Wide illuminated borders, here consisting of geometric compartments, surround the composition. Mika M. Natif
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art