Art of the Middle East
'Ali Asghar (attributed to), (Iran, Qazwin)
The Combat of Khusraw Parviz and Bahram Chubina—Painting from the Shahnama of Shah Isma'il II, c. 1577
Ink, opaque watercolor, gold and silver on paper
Sheet:  18 x 12 1/2 in. (45.72 x 31.75 cm)
M.2006.114

This painting portrays an idealized world that belies the impending violence at the heart of the composition. Here the richly burnished colors of the costumes, the complementary poses of the figures, the carefully contrived landscape, and the gold sky combine to create a dramatic setting for a combat. The scene represented is the contest between the shah, Khusraw Parviz, and Bahram Chubina, a would-be usurper, who would soon be defeated with the aid of the Byzantine army.

Painted to illustrate the Persian national epic, the Shahnama or Book of Kings, which tells of the pre-Islamic kings and heroes of Iran, this royal manuscript was produced for the Safavid shah, Isma'il II (reigned 1576–77) in Qazwin, then the capital of Iran. 

From the Mongol period (1256–1353 AD) onward, Persian shahs commissioned illustrated copies of the Shahnama as a means of legitimization by linking themselves to the ancient traditions of kingship in Iran. Although this poetic work is set in an often-mythic past, depictions of the king and members of his court are always shown clothed in the style of the day; similarly, representations of architecture, furnishings or other accoutrements also reflect contemporary life.

Other significant examples of Safavid court art in LACMA's collection include the well-known Ardabil Carpet and the Coronation Carpet.