The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of November 8, 2024
Portrait of Nushirwan the Just (verso) from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (940–1019 or 1025)
1330–35
(1256-1353)
Sheet: 59.3 x 40.2 cm (23 3/8 x 15 13/16 in.); Image: 24 x 22 cm (9 7/16 x 8 11/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1959.330.b
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
The symmetrical composition conveys the stability, balance, and restraint during the reign of King Nushirwan the Just.Description
Mongol interest in the production of illustrated manuscripts eventually focused on Persian epic poetry. The Shahnama, a compilation of the epics and tales of Iran's legendary heroes, was a natural choice; the book included many subjects that suited Mongol taste, such as banquets, battles, hunting, and magical or fantastic events.Seated on the throne in the center of the painting is the Sasanian ruler of Iran, Khusraw I Anushirwan (531–579), descendant of Bahram Gur. Above the king's head an inscription reads, "Picture of Nushirwan the Just." The figure in the elaborate turban to the left of the king is probably the young Minister Buzurgmihr, famous for his wisdom and virtue. To celebrate the explanation of a troublesome dream by Buzurgmihr, Nushirwan held a series of seven banquets. The text around this painting describes the fifth banquet.
- c. 1910-?(Georges Demotte [1877-1923], New York, NY)Homberg?-1959(Mrs. Paul [Marguerite] Mallon [d. 1977], Paris and New York, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)1959-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 221 archive.orgThe Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 221 archive.orgThe Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 278 archive.orgHillenbrand, Robert. The Great Mongol Shahnama. London, Washington, DC, New Haven, CT: Hali Publications Ltd.; Freer Gallery of Art: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art; Published in association with Yale University Press, 2022. Mentioned and Reproduced: painting 54
- An Epic of Kings: The Great Mongol Shahnama. National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, DC (organizer) (September 21, 2024-January 12, 2025) https://asia.si.edu/whats-on/exhibitions/mongol-shahnama/.Islamic art rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 16, 2013-December 15, 2014).Persian Miniature Manuscripts. The Scottish Arts Council Gallery, Edinburgh, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (organizer) (August 13-September 11, 1977).The Classical Style in Islamic Painting. The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY (organizer) (November 1, 1968-January 4, 1969).
- {{cite web|title=Portrait of Nushirwan the Just (verso) from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (940–1019 or 1025)|url=false|author=|year=1330–35|access-date=08 November 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1959.330.b