"The Funeral of Isfandiyar", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings)
Author: Abu'l Qasim Firdausi (935–1020)
Object Name: Folio from an illustrated manuscript
Date: 1330s
Geography: Attributed to Iran, Tabriz
Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions: Page: H. 22 13/16 in. (58 cm)
W. 15 3/4 in. (40 cm)
Mat: H. 24 in. (61 cm)
W. 19 1/2 in. (49.5 cm)
Classification: Codices
Credit Line: Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1933
Accession Number: 33.70

From a dispersed copy of the Ilkhanid manuscript referred to as the Great Mongol Shahnama, this folio depicts the funeral procession of the Persian hero Isfandiyar. The bier is accompanied by a group of mourners, some wailing and pulling at their hair, which is worn loose as a sign of mourning. The painting technique, with its strong linear quality and thin washes of color, recalls contemporary Chinese brush painting.

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

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New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Title of Work: Shahnama (Great Mongol)
Manuscript: 33.70, 52.20.2
Accession Number: 33.70
Chapter 15 - Gushtasp (120 years)
Scene: Isfandiyar mourned
English Title: The Bringing of Isfandiyar’s Bier
Dimensions (h x w): 220 x 289 mm
Format: Rectangular within borders
Reconstructed Folio: 153r (001r)
Gregorian Date: 1335 (circa)
School: Tabriz
Source: Shahnama Project