Arkivism
Rustam's seventh course: He kills the White Div, folio 124 from a Shah-nama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (Persian, about 934–1020)
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Rustam's seventh course: He kills the White Div, folio 124 from a Shah-nama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (Persian, about 934–1020)

Mir Musavvir (Iranian, c. 1510–1555), artist; Abd al-Vahhab (Persian, active c. 1516), artist · 1520–37 · Gum tempera, ink, gold, and silver on paper

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

The legendary hero Rustam brutally takes the demon chief’s liver blood, needed to cure his king of blindness. Paintings from the Shah-nama made for the Persian ruler Shah Tahmasp (reigned 1524–76) were acclaimed in their day for their brilliant coloring and refinement. Seven of the artists who contributed to this book moved to India to lead the new Mughal painting workshop in the 1550s. They introduced to the Indian artists a more complex color sensibility and preference for presenting faces in three-quarter view, as opposed to in profile.

Cleveland Museum of Art’s own description
Credit lineRustam's seventh course: He kills the White Div, folio 124 from a Shah-nama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (Persian, about 934–1020), 1520–37. Attributed to Mir Musavvir (Iranian, c. 1510–1555), attributed to Abd al-Vahhab (Persian, active c. 1516). Gum tempera, ink, gold, and silver on paper; sheet: 47.5 x 32.2 cm (18 11/16 x 12 11/16 in.); image: 28.4 x 18.5 cm (11 3/16 x 7 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 1988.96
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