.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
In this episode from the Shahnama, Afrasiyab, in response to a heavy defeat inflicted on his forces by the Persian army, plots a night attack in revenge. Anticipating his foe’s scheme, the Persian king Kay Khusraw orders his commanders to lie in ambush outside the camp. Under the starry night, the Persian chiefs spring their trap and slaughter the majority of Afrasiyab’s army.
With great command of composition and execution, the painter has captured both the turmoil caused by Kay Khusraw's ploy and the despair in the faces of Afrasiyab's soldiers. The audience of soldiers, though a common feature of Shahnama combat scenes, here fulfil a narrative double role of onlookers and soldiers lying in wait.
With great command of composition and execution, the painter has captured both the turmoil caused by Kay Khusraw's ploy and the despair in the faces of Afrasiyab's soldiers. The audience of soldiers, though a common feature of Shahnama combat scenes, here fulfil a narrative double role of onlookers and soldiers lying in wait.