Lot 70
AN ILLUSTRATED FOLIO FROM A DISPERSED SHAHNAMA: THE FIRE ORDEAL OF SIYAVUSH
INDIA, PROVINCIAL MUGHAL, DECCAN, SECOND HALF OF 18TH CENTURY
Auction: 10 June 2026 from 14:00 BST
Description
gouache, gold and ink on paper, mounted onto a gold floral decorated album folio, depicting Siyavush in white robes astride his black steed amidst flames in the foreground, in the mountainous background two horsemen and four footmen watch over him around a cherry blossom tree, rectangular panels of nasta'liq inscriptions above and below, verso with further inscriptions in nasta'liq arranged in four columns and diagonal lines above, mounted, framed and glazed
Dimensions
Folio 29cm x 18cm
Provenance
Private UK collection.
Footnote
This beautifully executed scene illustrates the fire ordeal of Siyavush. After Prince Siyavush spurned the romantic advances of his stepmother, Sudaba, she retaliated by falsely accusing him of initiating the affair. Determined to clear his name, the young prince chose to undergo a trial by fire. This scene reflects the tale faithfully, showing him clad entirely in white atop a dark horse. Emerging from the flames unharmed, Siyavush becomes a powerful emblem of purity and innocence. Despite this, he is later slain by traitors - an act that sparks the prolonged cycle of wars between Iran and Turan, as vividly chronicled in the Shahnama.
Another dispersed folio from the same manuscript was sold in these rooms, Islamic and Indian Art, 11 June 2025, lot 79.