A LARGE ILLUSTRATED FOLIO OF A QAJAR SHAHNAMA WITH RUSTAM
Qajar Iran, 19th century

Opaque pigments and gold on paper, the illustrated folio accompanied by four vertical columns of black ink nasta'liq Persian script, the chapter heading in red ink naskh script marking Bahman approaching Rustam and delivering Esfandiar’s message, the illustration featuring the epic Iranian hero Rustam clad in tiger-skin tunic resting by a stream, wine in hand, one leg stretched against a boulder, his plumed helmet lying in the foreground, the hero holding a whole lamb on a skewer on red coals, his steed, Rakhsh, supporting a pair of partridges in suspended animation, the scene observed by amazed warriors from beyond mountains, within blue, red, and gold rules, pasted on board, with a detached front off-white mount.

The text panel 32.2cm x 19.5cm, the folio 41.5cm x 28.2cm, 48.8cm x 32.8cm including the mount

The charming miniature of the epic warrior feasting between bouts of battle indicates the bazm-razm (feast-battle) motif does not always require a large gathering.