THE FIRE ORDEAL OF SIYAVUSH

“THE FIRE ORDEAL OF SIYAVUSH” 

XVI century. Mashhad school.

The miniature is executed for the “Shahnameh” of Abu’l-Qasim Ferdowsi.

This work is a facsimile copy of the miniature from the manuscript kept in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Turkiye.

 

The masterpiece of Persian literature, “Shahnameh” (“The Book of Kings”), was written by the Persian poet Abu’l-Qasim Ferdowsi in the early XI century. Created within 35 years (976-1011), the poem consists of almost sixty thousand couplets (bayts), its volume is twice as much as “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey” combined. Ferdowsi included in the poem a thousand couplets (bayts) written by his predecessor Dakiki, who died in his youth and couldn’t manage to complete his work. Covering the lives of fifty monarchs the “Shahnameh” is conventionally divided into three parts – mythological, heroic and historical and includes the history of Iran from ancient times to the penetration of Islam in the VII century. The poem is written entirely in Persian at a time when Arabic was the primary language of science and literature. Thus, Ferdowsi contributed to the flourishing and spread of the Persian language in the world.

The trial by fire of Siyavush is a scene depicting an adolescent falsely accused by his stepmother. To prove his innocence Siyavush walks through the flames of fire galloping on his black horse. As Siyavush is one of the main characters of the “Shahnameh”, the legend of Siyavush holds a significant place in this epic poem.

The miniature shows Siyavush, dressed in a white outer robe and a white turban, walking through the golden flames of fire astride a magical black horse. Holding a white-handled whip in his right hand, he seems to be urging his horse on. The artist depicts Siyavush wearing white clothes to emphasize the purity and innocence of the hero.

In the sacred book “Avesta” the name of the hero Siyavarshan means “black horse”, so the prince Siyavush is depicted riding on a raven horse. In the majority of works, the color black is used as an attribute of evil, but in this miniature, it symbolizes victory and unjust accusation against the noble youth.

In the upper right part of the composition, Shah Kay Kavus is depicted on a bay horse.

The upper left shows Queen Sudabeh, stepmother of Siyavush, sitting with her maids inside the palace.

The miniature is multi-figured, the composition consists of a group of people observing the events. Some are depicted outside the palace, some are women inside the building, and other characters observe the scene from over the hill.

In the background, a bright blue sky, floating white clouds and a green tree can be seen behind the hills.

The basic principles of fine art – contrast, harmonious combination of warm and cold colors – are applied in the composition. Since the flame of fire is depicted as warm and dark, the compositional background is rendered in cold light blue color.

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