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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2002.50.20
Title
Khusraw Parviz Enthroned in a Garden (painting, recto; text, verso), folio from a manuscript of the Shahnama by Firdawsi
Classification
Manuscripts
Work Type
manuscript folio
Date
c.1480
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Iran, Shiraz
Period
Aq Qoyunlu period
Culture
Persian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/149310

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
34.1 x 22.2 cm (13 7/16 x 8 3/4 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood, Belmont, MA (by 1998-2002), 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
2002.50.20
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Khusraw Parviz (r. 591–628) was the last major ruler of the Sasanian dynasty before the Muslim conquest of Iran. The scene shows the young ruler on a throne in an open garden, surrounded by his retinue. Three high-ranking officials are seated on a carpet at the left, while two others stand behind them. The king’s sword bearer and falconer are depicted on the right, and servants and musicians appear in the foreground. This illustration reflects the standard iconography of Central Asian and Persian audience scenes or official celebrations.
The doll-like, apple-cheeked figures and robustly curling clouds are characteristic of the late fifteenth-century painting style favored by the Aq Qoyunlu Turkman rulers of Shiraz. Unfortunately, a later hand has largely obliterated the finely textured, grassy ground cover.

Published Catalogue Text: In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art , written 2013
68

Khusraw Parviz Enthroned in a Garden
Recto: text and illustration, with title
“Khusraw Parviz, thirty-eight years”
Verso: text
Aq Qoyunlu period, c. 1480
Folio: 34.1 × 22.2 cm (13 7/16 × 8 3/4 in.)
2002.50.20

Khusraw Parviz (r. 591–628) was the last major ruler of the Sasanian dynasty before the Muslim conquest of Iran. The scene shows the young ruler on a throne in an open garden, surrounded by his retinue. Three high-ranking officials are seated on a carpet at the left, while two others stand behind them. The king’s sword bearer and falconer are depicted on the right, and servants and musicians appear in the foreground. This illustration reflects the standard iconography of Central Asian and Persian audience scenes or official celebrations.

The doll-like, apple-cheeked figures and robustly curling clouds are characteristic of the late fifteenth-century painting style favored by the Aq Qoyunlu Turkman rulers of Shiraz. Unfortunately, a later hand has largely obliterated the finely textured, grassy ground cover.

Mika M. Natif

Publication History

  • Mary McWilliams, ed., In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, exh. cat., Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2013), p. 220, cat. 68, ill.

Exhibition History

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