189. Bahram Gur Fights the Karg

 

Bahram Gur Fights the Karg, folio from the Great Il-Khanid Shahnama. Islamic; Persian, Il'Khanid. c. 1330-1340 C.E. Ink and opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper

This folio is from a celebrated copy of the text known as the Great Ilkhanid Shahnama, one of the most complex masterpieces of Persian art. Because of its lavish production, it is assumed to have been commissioned by a high-ranking member of the Ilkhanid court and produced at the court scriptorium. The fifty-seven surviving illustrations reflect the intense interest in historical chronicles and the experimental approach to painting of the Ilkhanid period (1256-1335). The eclectic paintings reveal the cosmopolitanism of the Ilkhanid court in Tabriz, which teemed with merchants, missionaries, and diplomats from as far away as Europe and China. Here the Iranian king Bahram Gur wears a robe made of European fabric to slay a fearsome horned wolf in a setting marked by the conventions of Chinese landscape painting.

Form

• Large painted surface area
• calligraphy diminished
• spacial recession indicated by overlapping planes
• atmospheric perspective seen in light bluish background
• similar to illuminated manuscript
• Areas of flat color
• Script is created to seem continuous; very flowing language

Function

• Recounts the tale of Bahram Gur's battle with the Karg using illustration and textual description

Content

• Representation of the ideal king
• Shows mix of Chinese and European influences
• Bahram Gur wears a crown and a golden halo, which shows influence by Western Christian depictions of Jesus
• Bahram Gur's garment seems to be made of European fabric
• Chinese landscape conventions are visible in the background

Context

• Part of a Persian manuscript entitled "Shahnama," which translates to Book of Kings
• Bahram Gur was an ancient Iranian king of the Sassanian dynasty
• The Karg was a mythical beast that was sometimes depicted as a unicorn, or a wolf, or a rhinoceros; here it is a combination of the three
• According to legend, Bahram Gur fought the Karg during his travels to India 
• Calligraphy is not always the same; all calligraphers have very distinct styles

Cross-Cultural Connections: Scenes of Conquering

• Athena from the Temple of Zeus
• Palette of Narmer
• Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus