Artwork Page for Aulad Tied to a Plane Tree, from a Shahnama by Firdausi

Details / Information for Aulad Tied to a Plane Tree, from a Shahnama by Firdausi

Aulad Tied to a Plane Tree, from a Shahnama by Firdausi

1575–1600

Sadiqi Bek

(Iranian, 1533–1609)
Culture
Iran, Qazvin or Isfahan?, Safavid period (1501–1722)
Medium
opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper
Measurements
Sheet: 33.5 x 23.5 cm (13 3/16 x 9 1/4 in.); Image: 33.5 x 23.5 cm (13 3/16 x 9 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund 1988.101
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

Rustam’s dappled horse named Raksh drinks water; it was originally silver, but has now oxidized to black.

Description

This large-scale illustration reflects a new aesthetic with simpler paintings of isolated figures which artists signed for less sophisticated patrons in the marketplace, replacing the previous idealized court style as a result of decreased support under Shah ‘Abbas (reigned 1587–1629). Instead, he improved the infrastructure to increase international trade and the country’s wealth.

The scene depicts Aulad, who guided the legendary hero Rustam through numerous ordeals. Since Aulad was not entirely trusted, Rustam often tied him to a tree, here a plane tree which shelters a pair of nesting birds. The painter, poet, and royal librarian Sadiqi Bek signed his name in tiny script on the brown rock below Aulad.
Vertically oriented opaque watercolor painting of Aulad, a man with light skin tone, sparse strands of hair on his head and jaw, and a grey mustache, wearing a red robe and tied to a tree. The tree stands in a orange-brown, rocky landscape that seems to sway right, a light brown horse drinking from dark grey water running along the lower edge. Blue sky and curling white clouds show through the trees' green leaves.

Aulad Tied to a Plane Tree, from a Shahnama by Firdausi

1575–1600

Sadiqi Bek

(Iranian, 1533–1609)
Iran, Qazvin or Isfahan?, Safavid period (1501–1722)

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