"Rakhsh Kills a Lion while Rustam is Asleep", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi
Author: Abu'l Qasim Firdausi (935–1020)
Object Name: Folio from an illustrated manuscript
Date: ca. 1300–30
Geography: Attributed to Northwestern Iran or Baghdad
Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper
Dimensions: Text block: 6 1/16 x 4 13/16 in. (15.4 x 12.3 cm)
Painting: 1 13/16 x 3 5/16 in. (4.6 x 8.4 cm)
Classification: Codices
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1969
Accession Number: 69.74.9
Provenance: Textile Museum, Washington (until 1969; sold to MMA)
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

"How Rustam Found a Spring", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi
Dimensions: Text block: 6 1/16 x 4 13/16 in. (15.4 x 12.2 cm)
Painting: 1 3/4 x 3 3/8 in. (4.5 x 8.5 cm)
Accession Number: 69.74.8

The two miniatures 69.74.8 and 69.74.9 illustrate the first and second of Rustam's seven ordeals. The first depicts the frequently illustrated scene of Rustam's gallant horse Rakhsh killing a lion while the hero sleeps. The subject of the second miniature is, on the other hand, rarely depicted. Rustam and Rakhsh nearly die of heat and thirst in the desert before, with the help of divine providence, they find a spring. Rustam bathes and grooms his faithful steed by the water's edge, as seen here. The painter is very sympathetic to the closeness between the hero and his trustworthy Rakhsh.
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

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New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Title of Work: Shahnama (First Small)
Manuscript: 25.68.1, 34.24.1-6, 57.51.33, 69.74.1-9
Accession Number: 69.74.8
Chapter 12 - Kay Kavus (150 years)
Scene: Rustam's first labour: Rakhsh kills a lion
English Title: Rustam's first labour: Rakhsh kills a lion
Dimensions (h x w): 45 x 85 mm
Format: Rectangular within borders
Reconstructed Folio: 039r
Gregorian Date: 1300 (circa)
School: Baghdad
Source: Shahnama Project

Accession Number: 69.74.9
Scene: Rustam's second labour: he finds a spring and kills an onager
Dimensions (h x w): 46 x 84 mm
Format: Rectangular, breaking through frame
Source: Shahnama Project