Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); Sudaba makes accusations against Siyavush
HISTORICAL PERIOD: Il-Khanid dynasty, Il-Khanid dynasty, 14th century
MEDIUM: Ink, opaque watercolor, gold and silver on paper
DIMENSIONS: H x W: 5.7 x 12.5 cm (2 1/4 x 4 15/16 in)
GEOGRAPHY: Probably Iran
CREDIT LINE: Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
ACCESSION NUMBER: F1930.90v
PROVENANCE: To 1930 Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962), New York to 1930. From 1930 Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Hagop Kevorkian, New York in 1930
DESCRIPTION: Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskhi script; recto: Sudaba makes accusations against Siyavush, 6 columns, 18 lines; verso: blank; one of a group of 4 folios.
Border: The painting is set in gold, black and blue rulings on cream-colored paper.

Although the arts of the book in Iran enjoyed great prestige prior to the Mongol invasion of the mid-thirteenth century, the earliest extant illustrated manuscripts date from the reign of the Ilkhanid dynasty (1256-1336). Among this group are several copies of the Shahnama (Book of kings), the Persian national epic. Composed in the year 1010 by the poet Firdawsi, the Shahnama recounts the stories of legendary and historical kings and heroes. Its colourful combination of fact and fantasy has meant that it is the most frequently illustrated text in Iran. The earliest known copies are referred to as the first and second "small" Shahnama, respectively.

This folio depicts a scene from the story of Siyavush, the son of King Kay-Kavus. According to Firdawsi, when Siyavush rejects the advances of Sudaba, his stepmother, she approaches her husband, who was also Siyavush's father, King Kay-Kavus, "wailing aloud and weeping abundant terars," accusing Siyavush of improper behavior. Although "miniaturized," the illustration of this episode from the first small Shahnama is highly animated and expressive.
Source: Freer Gallery of Art

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Washington, D.C., Freer Gallery of Art
Title of Work: Shahnama (First Small)
Manuscript: F1930.89-91, 1931.21
Accession Number: F1930.90
Chapter 12d - Siyavush
Scene: Sudaba accuses Siyavush
English Title: Sudaba accuses Siyavush before Kay Kavus
Dimensions (h x w): 53 x 121 mm
Format: Rectangular within borders
Reconstructed Folio: 056r
Gregorian Date: 1300 (circa)
School: Baghdad
Source: Shahnama Project