Garshasp and his army fighting a sea battle with the son of Bhu, ruler of Sarandib (Ceylon)

Illustrated folio from a manuscript of Asadi Tusi's Garshasp-Nama

Persian manuscript on paper.
Opaque watercolor, gold and ink.
Text: six columns in black nasta’liq script. Illuminated heading written in red nasta’liq.
Qajar Iran.
circa 1850 CE
Text: 29,6 x 18 cm
Painting: 10,3 x 18 cm

Notes: The Garshasp-Nama was composed between 1064 and 1066 by Asadi Tusi, who was born in Tus (Khorasan) and died around 1072 in Tabriz. It is an epic in verse recounting the adventures of Garshasp, hero, then legendary king of Iran. His character is also mentioned in the Shahnama, in which he is described as a distant ancestor of the most famous hero of Ferdowsi's epic poem: Rustem.