File:A Banquet Scene with Hormuz, Page from a Manuscript of the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdawsi.jpg

English: A Banquet Scene with Hormuz, Page from a Manuscript of the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdawsi

Iran, Shiraz, circa 1485-1495 Manuscripts; folios Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper 8 7/8 x 6 in. (22.5 x 15.2 cm) The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, gift of Joan Palevsky (M.73.5.413)

Hormuz (Hormozd IV, r. 579-590), the son of the Sasanian ruler Khusraw I Anushirvan (r. 531-579), garnered a tyrannical, if not evil reputation that persisted through the centuries, even by the time Firdawsi (d. 1020) penned his epic Shahnama (Book of Kings, completed in 1010), which retold the pre-Islamic history of Iran. According to the poet, Hormuz harangued his nobles and murdered his father’s ministers, among other unsavory acts. In this banquet scene, Hormuz schemes to poison one of his prisoners, a high priest appointed under his father. The shah orders him to eat a sample of a specially prepared dish, laced with bane. When the priest suspects foul play, Hormuz coerces him to eat upon his order as shah. In the painting, he holds up a morsel to the reluctant guest at an elaborate feast set upon a sofra, the dining surface either on the ground covered by fabric/leather or on a raised surface. This focal point of the composition appears decked with blue-and-white ware, most likely imported Chinese porcelain reflecting the wealth and status of the royal host. The other guests seem unaware of the murder transpiring as they spoon samples from the other dishes and help themselves to the impressive meal before them while a doorman stands guard. Later, as the priest lays dying, he sends Hormuz a message that his evil deeds will bring misfortune upon him.