Tahmineh Visits Rustam c. 1440 - 1445

aged paper

toned paper

water colours

ink paper printed

tea stained

handmade artwork painting

coffee painting

watercolour bleed

watercolour illustration

watercolor

"Tahmineh Visits Rustam" is a miniature painting from an illustrated manuscript depicting a scene from the Persian epic *Shahnameh* by Ferdowsi. It depicts the character Tahmineh, daughter of the King of Samangan, visiting Rustam, a legendary hero, at his campsite. The painting is attributed to an anonymous artist, and it is dated c. 1440-1445. While the painting itself is small, it showcases the detail and vibrant colors typical of the Timurid period.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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This painting depicts a romantic scene from the life of Rustam, the Persian hero of the Shah Nama, or Book of Kings. Here Tahmineh, daughter of the King of Turan, visits Rustam at night. The verse reads in part: Towards the unconscious warrior's pillow stepped a slave with perfumed candle, while behind her came a creature lovely as the moon, radiant as the sun, and fragrant in her beauty. Although suggestive touches like this occur throughout the Shah Nama, the romantic adventures are didactic in nature and subordinate to the greater struggle of the good heroes against the forces of darkness.