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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2002.50.26
Title
Siyavush Enthroned in a Garden Pavilion with Attendants, folio from a manuscript of the Shahnama by Firdawsi
Classification
Manuscripts
Work Type
manuscript folio
Date
first half of the 17th century
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Iran, Isfahan
Period
Safavid period
Culture
Persian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/165803

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
37.3 x 24.6 cm (14 11/16 x 9 11/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood, Belmont, MA (by 1995-2002), 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
2002.50.26
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
The Iranian prince Siyavush is here shown seated on a golden throne after his marriage to Farangis and the festivities that followed the event. As a wedding gift, Farangis’s father, King Afrasiyab, granted Siyavush vast territories stretching to the Sea of China, as well as a golden throne and crown. The painting clearly shows these objects, and the red curtains ornamented with Chinese cloud forms emphasize the proximity of China. In style, the painting can be related to works following the visual tradition of Riza ?Abbasi from the 1630s.

Published Catalogue Text: In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art , written 2013
116

Siyavush Enthroned in a Garden Pavilion with Attendants
Folio from a manuscript of the Shāhnāma by Firdawsi
Recto: text and illustration
Verso: blank
Iran, Safavid period, first half 17th century
Black ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on beige paper, with underdrawing in black ink
Folio: 37.3 × 24.6 cm (14 11/16 × 9 11/16 in.)
2002.50.26

The Iranian prince Siyavush is here shown seated on a golden throne after his marriage to Farangis (see cat. 81 A–B) and the festivities that followed the event. As a wedding gift, Farangis’s father, King Afrasiyab, granted Siyavush vast territories stretching to the Sea of China, as well as a golden throne and crown. The painting clearly shows these objects, and the red curtains ornamented with Chinese cloud forms emphasize the proximity of China. In style, the painting can be related to works following the visual tradition of Riza ʿAbbasi from the 1630s.[1]

Mika M. Natif

[1] We are grateful to Massumeh Farhad for this information (personal communication, March 18, 2011).

Publication History

  • Mary McWilliams, ed., In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, exh. cat., Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2013), p. 250, cat. 116, 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