Artefact

My primary artefact is this folio from the Shanameh of Shah Tahmasp,  the most luxurious, illustrated copy of Firdawsi's epic (Leoni). Made with quality paper and bordered with gold, the collection was created at the royal atelier in Tabriz, which was the first capital of the Safavid dynasty. While the entirety of the piece was created over two generations with multiple artists, this particular folio was made by Sultan Muhammad, the head of the royal workshop. The animated characterizations of the piece are representative of his work, and “the logical disposition of figures in space reflects the influence of the late Timurid Herat School of painting” (The Metropolitan Museum of Art).

The cultural significance of the manuscript stems from its consideration as one of the most notable achievements in the arts of the book for its masterful “calligraphy, painting, and illumination” (Leoni). It demonstrates both the Turkmen style and Timurid style that was evident in the art of the early Safavids and shows the distinct, yet harmonious influences of the Turkmen school and the Herat school, insightfully exemplifying the artistic scene in 16th-century Iran.

The painting depicts Zahhak as he faints upon learning the meaning of his nightmare regarding Feraydun and his imminent downfall and death. Around Zahhak, many of his subjects are visibly discussing things with each other and also attending to his needs, unsettled by Zahhak’s collapse. The painting showcases vivid, vibrant colors, to reflect the “class and status” (Mahabal) that the courts entail. As the members of the court are generally of high social standing, their colorful garments are congruent with their social class and demonstrate their royal positions. 

Like the primary artefact, this secondary artefact is another folio from Shanameh of Shah Tahmasp, titled “The Death of Zahhak.” The painting illustrates Zahhak, with the snakes on his shoulders, hanging on chains, “bound and taken to a cave on Iran’s highest mountain, Damavand, where he was doomed to hang from chains for eternity (Canby). The work notably “synthesizes” the artistic influences of Herat, Shiraz, and Tabriz. Painted by Sultan Muhammad, it is inferred to be his last contribution to the Shanameh of Shah Tahmasp. Compared to his previous work, Muhammad’s artistic style had substantially evolved which is exemplified in this painting as it features “fewer grotesque faces hidden in the rocks.”

This bowl portrays “King Zahhak with two snakes protruding from his shoulders” (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). While it originated from the 12th-13th century, thermoluminescence analysis proved that the bowl was fired before its exhibition in 1926 at Philadephia’s Sesquicentennial International Exposition. Medieval pieces were often recut with new designs to improve market appeal and consequently reglazed and refired.  The range in which it was presumably made also means that it was created even before the Shanameh of Shah Tahmasp as the creation of the collection began in the 1520s. While the creator is currently unknown, it is noted that the bowl was a gift of Fahim Joseph Kouchakji in 1964.