Single Leaf of a Mounted Figure Attacked by a Lion

Description The image of a man on a horse fighting a lion evokes descriptions of heroic acts in Persian literature, which was read and recited aloud. Inscriptions at the bottom of the page name the royal artists Kamal al-Din Bihzad (died 1536–37) and Siyavush (died ca. 1616), a Georgian slave who became a close friend of Shah Tahmasp (r. 1524–76). The presence of Bihzad’s and Siyavush’s names does not necessarily mean that these artists drew the composition. Instead, their names may have been written by another person who associated the subject and style of drawing with these two artists. The seal at the top of the page is dated AH 1126 (1714 CE). The borders, populated with a variety of flowers and animals, may also date to the 18th century.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
1/27/1977	Treatment	mounted; re-housed
11/28/2016	Treatment	examined for exhibition; media consolidation; stabilized

Exhibitions

• Art of Persia. Ithaca College Museum of Art, Ithaca. 1966-1967.

Provenance Kelekian Estate, 1952, by bequest; Walters Art Museum, 1952, by purchase.

Credit Museum purchase, 1952