cma-islamic-art: Page from a Shah-nama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (Persian, about 934–1020), c. 159
cma-islamic-art: Page from a Shah-nama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (Persian, about 934–1020), c. 1590-1600, Cleveland Museum of Art: Islamic ArtThis section of the Shah-nama is famous for the clever conversational repartee between Rustam and his opponent Ashkabus. When Ashkabus remarked that in choosing not to ride a horse Rustam had signed his own death warrant, Rustam retorted, “Would it be the case then that in your country … lions, tigers, and crocodiles [all] ride on horses to battle?” Rustam then brought down the horse of Ashkabus with a single arrow; his next arrow pierced Ashkabus in the chest.Size: Image: 25.4 x 15.7 cm (10 x 6 3/16 in.); Overall: 31 x 20.1 cm (12 3/16 x 7 15/16 in.); Text area: 21 x 13.5 cm (8 ¼ x 5 5/16 in.)Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paperhttps://clevelandart.org/art/1960.199.a -- source link