Zal Climbing to Rudaba, page from a copy of the Shahnama of Firdausi
Islamic (Shiraz)
Safavid dynasty (1501–1722), dated 1580/90
- Medium
- Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- 26 × 17 cm (10 1/4 × 6 3/4 in.)
- Culture
- Shiraz
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Asia
- Credit line
- Ann McNear Collection
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Teens profiles and older: its museum says too little about what it shows to place it for younger viewers. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
Among the most beautiful examples of Islamic art are the illuminated manuscripts from Persia that portray legendary tales of heroism, love, and adventure. Zal Courting Rudabahis a page from a 16th-century version of the Book of Kings,the national epic of Persia. Below the lovers seen on the balcony are attendants, animals, architecture, flowering plants, and calligraphy (revered as an art form throughout the Islamic world), all carefully integrated into a rich, overall pattern. The painting's jewel-like quality is enhanced by its brilliant colors, including gold and blue, formed from the precious stone lapis lazuli.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
