Folio from the Shahnama Iran, Shiraz, 1575-1590 Ink, opaque watercolor, gold and silver on paper 2002.50.37, cat 94 Seated on a golden throne and crowned with a flaming halo, King Solomon here presides over a retinue of humans, angels, divs and animals both natural and supernatural. Solomon is frequently mentioned in the Qur'an as a divinely appointed exemplar of just rule and wisdom, who commands the wind and understands the speech of birds and animals. Later Islamic literature, both secular and sacred, further elaborates his persona, giving him extraordinary knowledge, accomplishments and powers. This painting represents one of Solomon's key attributes: a canopy of birds who shield him and his entourage from the sun. This folio is the right half of what was once a double-page frontispiece depicting Solomon and Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba. The two pages opened an ambitious copy of the Shahnama by Firdawsi.
aperture=f2.8 focal length: 60.0 mm exposure 1/60 sec ISO: 2000