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Bahram Gur and Azada, from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (940–1019 or 1025)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This image from an unfinished painting depicts one of the most popular episodes from the life of the pre-Islamic Persian king Bahram Gur (reigned 420–438 CE). A famed hunter, he was challenged by his concubine, Azada, to strike a donkey through its foot and ear with a single arrow. Azada is in the upper right playing the harp on a camel. Bahram Gur successfully meets her challenge at the bottom of the page; he tossed a rock into the donkey’s ear, then fired when the animal tried to kick it loose.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineBahram Gur and Azada, from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (940–1019 or 1025), 1500s. Iran, Tabriz or Qazvin, Safavid period (1501-1722). Opaque watercolor and gold on paper; sheet: 32.5 x 21.5 cm (12 13/16 x 8 7/16 in.); image: 17.4 x 11 cm (6 7/8 x 4 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust, 1915.597
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