Location: present whereabouts unknown.
Mount: dark blue with gold 35.9 x 23.4 cm. Orange collar.
Written surface: 23.5 x 15.0 cm.
Painting: 11.9 x 15.0 cm.
Text references: J.K., p.197 line 10 to p.198 line 7.
See Savory, SA_1979, p.48 for this event in the History of Shah ʿĀbbās

Date of this event: 909/March 1504.
In the Spring of 1504 Esmāʿil decided to punish Emir Ḥoseyn Kiā Colāvi and the rebels of Rostamdār for having deceitfully killed Elyās Beg Eyḡus̱-oḡlu, commander of his advanced detachment. Esmāʿil left his winter quarters at Qom and marched in the direction of Rostamdār, where he first laid siege to the fort at Gol-e Ḵandān, which was renowned for its strength. He stormed the fort and put it's garrison to death. True to the text the painting shows Esmāʿil leading his troops in a frontal assault against a walled fortress that is butressed into a rocky landscape. A moat, or stream, that provides further security for the fort can be seen at the bottom of the illustration. Four defenders, two armed with rifles and two with bows, fire on them from behind the crenellations.

Four lines of text above the painting, and four lines below. A gold frame encloses illustration and text. The painting is not signed or dated, but the style is well in keeping with that of Moʿin.

Painting references:
Sotheby’s London, 7 May 1975, Lot 50.
Alex Gallery, NYC 1993, pl.V
Sotheby’s London, 9 April 2008, Lot 53.

Photo courtesy of Sotheby's

Robert Eng
Last Updated: June 27, 2012 | Originally published: June 27, 2012