"Rustam Fights the Dragon (Rustam's Third Course)", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) by Abu'l Qasim Firdausi

"Rustam Fights the Dragon (Rustam's Third Course)", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) 1305 - 1365

aged paper

toned paper

water colours

possibly oil pastel

coloured pencil

underpainting

men

islamic-art

watercolour bleed

watercolour illustration

mixed medium

watercolor

This folio, created sometime between 1305 and 1365, is a page from a Shahnama, a collection of epic poems about the kings of Persia written by the poet Abu'l Qasim Firdausi in the 10th and 11th centuries. This particular illustration depicts a scene from the epic poem, Rustam's third course, in which the hero Rustam battles a dragon, the dragon being a symbol of evil. The painting highlights the vivid imagery used in the Shahnama, using colors like red, brown, and green, reflecting the artistic styles of the time in Persia.