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Ilkhanid Illustration
Khushnavaz fights Sufaray.
from the 1341 Inju Shahnama, Shiraz


Sarafra'i Kills Khushnavaz in a Night Battle [Khushnavaz fights Sufaray].

War was considered the most dangerous of imperial activities, but a ruler often depended on it to acquire or expand his kingdom. In this battle scene, armor-clad mounted warriors charge full speed ahead their adrenaline dynamically expressed through diagonally drawn bows, galloping horses, and the spiraling clouds of dust that frame them and rise up between the opposing forces. Along with the red and yellow ochre palette, the warriors' long torsos and the shallow background represent a style unique to painting in Shiraz under the lnjuids, governors of Fars province and vassals to the Ilkhanid Mongol rulers of Iran in the fourteenth century. This folio belongs to a manuscript commissioned by Qavam al-Din Hasan, minister to the Injuid governor of Fars province, Abu lshaq (ruled 1335-1353), in A.H. 741/1341 A.D., as stated in its colophon. Court life thus extended into the lives of independent governing courts at the furthest reaches of the empire.

COMMISSIONED BY Vazir Qavam al-Din Hasan
MEDIUM Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
DATES AH 741 / 1341 C.E.
DYNASTY Injuid
PERIOD Injuid
DIMENSIONS 9 1/2 x 3 5/8 in. (24.1 x 9.2 cm)
ACCESSION NUMBER 86.227.133
CREDIT LINE Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc.
RIGHTS STATEMENT No known copyright restrictions
CAPTION Vazir Qavam al-Din Hasan. "Sarafra'i Kills Khushnavaz in a Night Battle," Page from a Manuscript of the Shahnama of Firdawsi, AH 741 / 1341 C.E. Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper, 9 1/2 x 3 5/8 in. (24.1 x 9.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.227.133 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 86.227.133_IMLS_PS3.jpg)
Source: Brooklyn Museum

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Title of Work: Shahnama (1341)
Manuscript: 86.227.133
Chapter 39 - Balash son of Piruz (5 years, 1 month, 6 days)
Scene: Khushnavaz fights Sufaray
Format: Rectangular within borders
Reconstructed Folio: 246r
Hijri Date: 741
Gregorian Date: 1340 (to nearest hijri year)
School: Injuid Shiraz
Source: Shahnama Project

Back to the 1341 Inju Shahnama

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