The Bowman, frontispiece from The Epic of Kings, Stories Retold from Firdusi
1882
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (English, born the Netherlands, 1836-1912) written by Helen Zimmern (1846-1934) published by Thomas Fisher Unwin, London
England
This etching is one of two prints that Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema made to illustrate Helen Zimmern’s 19th-century translation of the great Persian epic poem Shahnameh (The King’s Book) by Firdusi from around A.D. 1000. Consisting of some 60,000 verses, the Shahnameh recounts the mythical and historical past of greater Iran, beginning with the creation of the world and the introduction of arts and civilization. It concludes with the Arab conquest of Persia.
Etching in black on cream wove paper