Shah Tahmasp Shahnameh
Faridun Tests His Three Sons
Folio detached from the Shah Tahmasp Shahnameh
Attributed to Aqa Mirak
Iran, Tabriz, ca. 1535
Opaque watercolour, ink, silver, and gold on paper
AKM903
Adversity can be overcome through courage, but also cautious action and reasoned argument, as this story illustrates. Here, the Iranian king Faridun has transformed himself into a ferocious, fire-breathing dragon to secretly test his three sons, whom he refuses to name until they reach maturity and their characters can be gauged. His eldest son, in the uppermost position of this illustration, retreats, exclaiming that no sane person would fight such a beast. The middle son, in the lower-right corner, readies himself for battle with the dragon. Faridun’s youngest son confronts the monster, commanding him to flee. Having revealed their personalities, Faridun names the eldest Salm, a word related to “safety”; the middle son, Tur, for his “bravery”; and the youngest, Iraj, meaning “noble."