Royal Feast in a Garden, left folio from the double-page frontispiece of a Shahnama (Book of Kings)
Royal Feast in a Garden, left folio from the double-page frontispiece of a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (940–1019 or 1025), c. 1440, Cleveland Museum of Art: Islamic ArtThe painting on the verso of this folio is the first half of a double-page frontispiece now detached from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) manuscript. CMA 1956.10 is the left half of the frontispiece. As though setting the scene for royal stories and activities, these two opening pages of Iran’s national epic present a luxurious gathering in an idyllic outdoor setting. Groups of nobles and international diplomats have come bearing gifts, including costly vessels and hunting animals. From the upper left two trained cheetahs, a falcon, and horses are led into the scene. Drama and intrigue seem to be brewing, given the knowing glances and whispers between figures and the four men being driven away by a guard at the lower left.Size: Recto Image: 26.1 x 20.7 cm (10 ¼ x 8 1/8 in.); Overall: 32.7 x 22 cm (12 7/8 x 8 11/16 in.)Medium: opaque watercolor, ink, gold and silver on paperhttps://clevelandart.org/art/1956.10 -- source link
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