Double page from the Shahnama Iran, Shiraz, Safavid period, dated to Ramadan 969 (May-June 1562) Ink, opaque watercolor, gold and silver on paper 2002.50.157, 2002.50.128, cat 89a-b The archetypical hunter-king, Sassanian ruler Bahram V (r. 420-438) was renowned for his spectacular hunting skills and, according to legend, won the Persian throne by slaying two lions with a mace. The surname "Gur" refers to his favored game animal, the onager or wild assm seen below him in this painting. Bahram Gur's bravura display of archery skills for the harpist Azada is one of the best known hunting exploits in Persian literature. This painting captures the essential narrative elements: responding to Azada's taunts Bahram Gur has feminized a male gazelle by shooting off its horns, has turned a female into a horned male gazelle with two arrows to the head, and with a single arrow has pinned a third gazelle's foot to its ear. Although unmentioned in the text, the falconers vingetted in beautiful detail on the horizon are among the finest features of the painting
aperture=f2.8 focal length: 60.0 mm exposure 1/40 sec ISO: 2000