Bahrām Gur Kills a Dragon in India

Location: Aga Khan Museum, Toronto. Formerly in the Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan Collection, no. Ir.M 43/C
Page: size not known
Painting: size not known
Text area: size not known

Welch has included this page with others from ms.E, then in the Collection of Prince Sadruddin Aqa Khan, claiming it to be another page from the manuscript, and the painting by Moʿin. He also states the dimensions to be 21.4 x 16.0 cm., but gives no reference points of what these dimensions measure.

We lack the most important information of page size and text area size. In addition the text seems to be written on a 26 line per page matrix, rather than the 30 line per page matrix of the other pages in ms. E. The conspicuous absence of the marginal sequence number is another reason for suspicion. And lastly, although the painting is in good Moʿin style, albeit it workshop quality, it is unsigned. All of these reasons create doubt in our minds to be able to confirm its place in ms.E, at least for now.

For two other variants of this same subject painted by Mo¯in at a later date, see Ms.G, ff. 347 and 354.

Painting references:
Welch, AK2, Ir.M. 43/E (not illustrated).

Text references:
Warner, VII, p.124-26. Mohl, VI, p.32.

Photo courtesy of Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan

Robert Eng
Last Updated: May 27, 2013 | Originally published: June 25, 1997