“A Feast”
Date1520
PeriodSafavid
MediumGouache painting, gold, and ink on paper
DimensionsPainting: 8 5/16 x 4 7/16 in. (21.1 x 11.3 cm)
Leaf: 11 1/2 x 7 3/16 in.
ClassificationsPaintings
Object number11.6.4
DescriptionIn this carefully composed illustration, Manouchehr, one of the Shahnameh’s mythical kings, is seen at a feast after his enthronement. His role in the epic - as a powerful, just ruler - is conveyed through his slightly larger figure, and the generous use of expensive gold leaf and lapis lazuli. Three figures on the sides break the outline, extending the content beyond the pictorial frame. A notable quality of Persian paintings, this “breakage” also demonstrates the unique process of book-making in which the figures are painted only after a detailed grid is drawn and the text is written.Note the careful composition of this painting. The outline would have been drawn first, with sections reserved for the calligrapher. The architectural elements would have been painted first, then the figures, and finally the faces - each by a different artist. The final touch was the work of the calligrapher.
On View
Not on view
19th - 20th century
18th - 19th century
18th - 19th century
17th century
17th century
