Harvard Art Museums > 2002.50.37: Solomon Enthroned with Angels, Beasts, and Demons (painting, verso; Shi'a seals, recto), illustrated folio from a manuscript of the Shahnama by Firdawsi Manuscripts Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Solomon Enthroned with Angels, Beasts, and Demons (painting, verso; Shi'a seals, recto), illustrated folio from a manuscript of the Shahnama by Firdawsi , 2002.50.37,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 22, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/143112. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2002.50.37 Title Solomon Enthroned with Angels, Beasts, and Demons (painting, verso; Shi'a seals, recto), illustrated folio from a manuscript of the Shahnama by Firdawsi Classification Manuscripts Work Type manuscript folio Date 1575-1590 Places Creation Place: Middle East, Iran, Shiraz Period Safavid period Culture Persian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/143112 Physical Descriptions Medium Opaque watercolor and gold on paper Dimensions 42.5 x 26.5 cm (16 3/4 x 10 7/16 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History [Mansour Gallery, London, 1990 or 1992], sold; to Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood, Belmont, MA (1990 or 1992 - 2002), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2002. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art Accession Year 2002 Object Number 2002.50.37 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description This folio is half of what was a double-page frontispiece depicting King Solomon on the right and Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba, on the left. The Calderwood painting represents Solomon and his court, including his vizier Asaf, surrounded by animals, birds, angels, and divs. This scene is not linked to the text of the Shahnama per se, but rather reflects concepts of the ideal ruler. Similar depictions of Solomon appear as frontispieces in many Safavid illustrated manuscripts, merging the image of the just king with that of a prophet who is close to God. The rich detail, bright colors, and lively composition of this frontispiece would have made it visually suitable for introducing the kingly adventures narrated and depicted in the following pages of the manuscript. The painting is surrounded by a wide band of illumination, in blue and gold with delicate floral tracery. Published Catalogue Text: In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art , written 201394 Frontispiece: Solomon Enthroned Recto: seals with pious inscriptions Verso: illustration Folio: 42.5 × 26.5 cm (16 3/4 × 10 7/16 in.) 2002.50.37 Published: McWilliams 2002a, 15, fig. 11. This folio is half of what was a double-page frontispiece depicting King Solomon on the right and Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba, on the left.[1] The Calderwood painting represents Solomon and his court, including his vizier Asaf, surrounded by animals, birds, angels, and divs. This scene is not linked to the text of the Shāhnāma per se, but rather reflects concepts of the ideal ruler. Similar depictions of Solomon appear as frontispieces in many Safavid illustrated manuscripts, merging the image of the just king with that of a prophet who is close to God. The rich detail, bright colors, and lively composition of this frontispiece would have made it visually suitable for introducing the kingly adventures narrated and depicted in the following pages of the manuscript. The painting is surrounded by a wide band of illumination, in blue and gold with delicate floral tracery. Mika M. Natif [1] For the facing folio, depicting Bilqis enthroned in a palace, see, in this volume, the essay by Marianna Shreve Simpson, “The Illustrated Shāhnāma in Sixteenth-Century Shiraz,” 77–113, specifically 89, fig. 7b. Publication History Mary McWilliams, "With Quite Different Eyes: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art", Apollo, ed. David Ekserdjian (November 2002), vol. CLVI no. 490, pp. 12-16, p.15, fig.11 Mary McWilliams, ed., In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, exh. cat., Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2013), p. 14, ill.; pp. 88-89, ill.; p. 236, cat. 94, ill. Yuriko Yamanaka, ed., Cultural History of Marvels in the Middle East and Europe, Nagoya University Press (Nagoya, October 19, 2015), Cover illustration; p. 20 Exhibition History Closely Focused, Intensely Felt: Selections from the Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 08/07/2004 - 01/02/2005 In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/31/2013 - 06/01/2013 32Q: 3620 University Study Gallery, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 02/22/2016 - 03/14/2016 Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
