Rustam Slays the White Elephant, from the Shahnama of Firdausi
Iranian
Description
Rustam performed his first feat of extraordinary courage when still a youth. After a day of revelry at the palace, both he and his father Zal had gone to bed dazed by wine. Suddenly,
Shouts rose outside his door: “The chief’s white elephant
Hath broken loose, and folk are in its danger!”
He [Rustam] heard, and urged by hardihood ran forth,
Snatched up [his father] Sam’s mace and made toward the street.
The keepers of the gate opposed him, saying:
“We fear the chieftain, ‘tis a darksome night,
The elephant is loose! Who can approve
Thy going forth?”
Wroth at the speaker’s words
The matchless Rustam smote him on the nape:
His head rolled from him. Rustam turned toward …
The mighty beast and roared out like the sea.
He looked and saw a Mountain bellowing. …
And went courageously against the beast,
Which seeing him charged at him like a mountain
And reared its trunk to strike, but Rustam dealt it
A mace-blow on the head. …
Warner, I, 328
In this case, the artist’s toolbox did not prepare him to capture the drama and sense of danger found in Firdausi’s text: instead of a white, mountain-sized elephant rearing to strike, he has drawn what appears to be an ordinary and very young elephant, shyly cowering before Rustam. It is the witnesses to the scene—men in the doorway and ladies in the window above—who clue us how to respond to the event by their gestures of astonishment.
———
Maribeth Graybill, Senior Curator of Asian Art
Exhibited in "A Medieval Masterpiece from Baghdad: the Ann Arbor Shahnama"
August 14 through December 19, 2004
Subject Matter:
Rustam Slays the White Elephant
Shouts rose outside his door: "The chief's white elephant
Hath broken loose, and folk are in its danger!"
He heard, and urged by hardihood ran forth,
Snatched up Sam's mace and made toward the street.
The keepers of the gate opposed him, saying:
"We fear the chieftain, 'tis a darksome night,
The elephant is loose! Who can approve
Thy going forth?"
Wroth at the speaker's words
The matchless Rustam smote him on the nape:
His head rolled from him. Rustam turned toward...
...The mighty beast and roared out like the sea.
He looked and saw a Mountain bellowing,....
...And went courageously against the beast,
Which seeing him charged at him like a mountain
And reared its trunk to strike, but Rustam dealt it
A mace-blow on the head...
Physical Description:
This painted miniature Shahnama page was made by the Shiraz and Timurid schools, ca. 1460 in Baghdad, Iraq. The painting is done in ink, opaque watercolor and gold leaf on paper. The scene depicts Rustam Slays the White Elephant from the Shahnama of Firdausi, the Persian book of kings.
Usage Rights:
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.