"The Funeral of Isfandiyar," Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings)

Colors in this work

Artist: Abu'l Qasim Firdausi
Date: 1330s
Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions: Page: Ht. 22 13/16 in. (58 cm) W. 15 3/4 in. (40 cm) Mat: Ht. 24 in. (61 cm) W. 19 1/2 in. (49.5 cm)
Origin: Iran
Department: Islamic Art
Holding institution: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Palette: Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #C7AC8F · 61%

Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #8A725B · 10%

Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #DDC3A5 · 9%

Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #A78D71 · 8%

Raw Walnut · Brown family · #5A4B3C · 7%

Indigo Banner · Blue family · #414E5E · 2%

Apricot Plaster · Orange family · #E8CDAC · 2%

Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #D19366 · <1%

Terra Sigillata Red · Red family · #AF5A49 · <1%

Parchment Ochre · Yellow family · #B5AE91 · <1%

Zinc Ground · Gray family · #AFA89D · <1%

Iron Rosette · Red family · #8B3D3A · <1%

Graphite Block · Gray family · #445351 · <1%

Dusty Ballet Silk · Pink family · #BE8780 · <1%

Peach Bole · Orange family · #D4795F · <1%

Granite Face · Gray family · #657472 · <1%

Zinc Ground · Gray family · #929787 · <1%

Zinc Ground · Gray family · #99A1AC · <1%

Select a color to find related artworks.
Image provider: metropolitan-museum-of-art
License: CC0-1.0
Credit: Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1933

12 tags

Narrative Both · 99%

The Met title identifies the work as a folio from a Shahnama, or Book of Kings, while the image presents a clearly staged funerary event with a bier, participants, mounted figures, and surrounding text.
Mourning and Commemoration Both · 99%

The catalog lists “Funerals” as a subject, and the image visibly centers on a bier surrounded by gesturing participants in a processional scene.
Equestrian Both · 98%

Horses are listed among the catalog subjects, and two mounted horses are visibly integrated into the illustrated procession.
Crowds Visual · 99%

The miniature contains a large number of human figures gathered within a single coordinated event.
Text Visual · 99%

Extensive Persian-script writing appears in regularly framed panels above and below the miniature and in a central horizontal panel.

Calligraphic Visual · 98%

Persian-script calligraphy and fine linear contours organize the page and articulate figures, garments, plants, and landscape forms.
Dense Composition Visual · 99%

Numerous figures, text panels, floral motifs, patterned garments, and landscape details are tightly arranged within the bounded folio layout.
Patterns Visual · 95%

Repeated floral motifs and patterned textiles recur across the landscape and clothing, creating a strongly ornamental surface.

Work on Paper Both · 99%

The catalog identifies the medium as ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper, and the image is visibly a painted and drawn page.
Manuscript Both · 99%

The catalog identifies the object as a folio from an illustrated manuscript, and the image visibly combines a miniature with extensive calligraphic text on a page.
Watercolor Both · 99%

Opaque watercolor is specified in the catalog medium, and broad areas of applied color are visible throughout the miniature.

1000 - 1400 CE Art Metadata · 99%

The catalog dates the folio to the 1330s, placing it within the catalog’s 1000–1400 CE range.

Abu'l Qasim Firdausi. "The Funeral of Isfandiyar," Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings). The Metropolitan Museum of Art.