Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem |
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The birth of Rustam Illustration to the Shahnameh Kashmir 19th century Gouache on paper H: 15.5; W: 12 cm Bequest of Yuhanna Dawud, London Accession number: O.S.B77.10.3995 |
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Rustam’s extraordinary size made his birth extremely difficult. Zal, Rustam’s father, sought the advice of Simurgh, the mythical bird, in order to relieve the pain of his wife, Rudaba. Simurgh instructed Zal to put his wife into a deep sleep, cut an incision in her side, and extract the baby from her womb. Rustam was so enormous that ten wetnurses were needed to feed him. Digital presentation of this object was made possible by: The Ridgefield Foundation, New York, in memory of Henry J. and Erna D. Leir |
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