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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2002.50.21
Title
Qaydafa Recognizes Iskandar from His Portrait (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/98611

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
34 x 21.5 cm (13 3/8 x 8 7/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood, Belmont, MA (by 1974-2002), 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
2002.50.21
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Queen Qaydafa was the ruler of Andalusia. She was wise, just, prosperous, and admired by her subjects. Upon hearing of the victories and success of Iskandar (Alexander the Great), she ordered her painter to gain surreptitious access to the eminent king, study him carefully, and produce a detailed, full-length portrait of him, to supplement the portraits of great rulers she already possessed. Following his conquests in the east, Iskandar sent Qaydafa a letter demanding her immediate and unconditional submission, which she refused. When Iskandar, disguised as his own messenger, appeared at her court, the queen recognized him and countered his denials of his royal identity with the portrait made by her artist. After the two conversed and recognized their mutual wisdom and talents, Iskandar returned to his land with gifts, having learned an invaluable lesson.
The illustration captures the moment when Iskandar, shown sitting on a golden seat in front of Qaydafa, sees his portrait. Even though the text calls for him to be in disguise as a messenger, he wears a crown like the one in the painting he is examining. The queen, in a golden diadem, gestures toward Iskandar from her large throne. The protagonists are surrounded by the queen’s female retinue, who peek at the painting and talk to one another. Although, according to the text, the episode takes place at the Andalusian court, the illustration has transformed the setting into a fifteenth-century Iranian or Central Asian palace.


Published Catalogue Text: In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art , written 2013
65

Qaydafa Recognizes Iskandar from His Portrait
Recto: text and illustration, with title “Qaydafa recognizes Iskandar”
Verso: text
Aq Qoyunlu period, c. 1480
Folio: 34 × 21.5 cm (13 3/8 × 8 7/16 in.)
2002.50.21

Published: McWilliams 2002a, 14, fig. 8.

Queen Qaydafa was the ruler of Andalusia. She was wise, just, prosperous, and admired by her subjects. Upon hearing of the victories and success of Iskandar (Alexander the Great), she ordered her painter to gain surreptitious access to the eminent king, study him carefully, and produce a detailed, full-length portrait of him, to supplement the portraits of great rulers she already possessed. Following his conquests in the east, Iskandar sent Qaydafa a letter demanding her immediate and unconditional submission, which she refused. When Iskandar, disguised as his own messenger, appeared at her court, the queen recognized him and countered his denials of his royal identity with the portrait made by her artist. After the two conversed and recognized their mutual wisdom and talents, Iskandar returned to his land with gifts, having learned an invaluable lesson.

The illustration captures the moment when Iskandar, shown sitting on a golden seat in front of Qaydafa, sees his portrait. Even though the text calls for him to be in disguise as a messenger, he wears a crown like the one in the painting he is examining. The queen, in a golden diadem, gestures toward Iskandar from her large throne. The protagonists are surrounded by the queen’s female retinue, who peek at the painting and talk to one another. Although, according to the text, the episode takes place at the Andalusian court, the illustration has transformed the setting into a fifteenth-century Iranian or Central Asian palace.

Mika M. Natif

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. 14, fig. 8
  • Mary McWilliams, ed., In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, exh. cat., Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2013), p. 218, cat. 65, 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