File:Abraham sent to the pyre by King Nemrod, Iran, Qajar period, early 19th century.jpg

English: ABRAHAM SENT TO THE PYRE BY KING NEMROD

Rare and large painted and lacquered papier-mâché binding panel, depicting a scene when Abraham (Khalil) is sent to the stake by King Nimrod, in the middle of a crowd made up of princes and sovereigns. Large calligraphic border in nasta'liq on a black background, with the repetition of verses. In a frame. (Cracks; gaps in pictorial layer). Iran, Qajar period, early 19th century.

The hastily calligraphed nasta'liq inscriptions around the main scene, and difficult to read, are the partial repetition of Persian poetic verses attributed to Shahab Turshizi, a poet of the Zand and Qâjâr periods, whose present poetry cites the names of Khalil (Abraham ) and Nimrod, thus allowing the scene to be identified. Abraham, son of Terah and Azar, and husband of Sarah, is one of the most important characters in the Old Testament, and is considered the father of the three monotheistic religions. His life was a rich source of inspiration for artists. Nimrod, or Nimrod, is a biblical character, great-grandson of Noah and the first king after the flood, whose story is associated with that of Abraham. Indeed, the hostility of the people towards Abraham, who denounced their worship of idols, is manifested by that of the despot king Nimrod. This tyrant character, whose name does not appear in the Koran, represents the anti-prophet and the adversary par excellence. Abraham fought against the idolaters of the pagan gods and in return Nimrod decided to have him burned alive and then had a huge furnace installed. As the furnace was too hot, no one could approach to throw Abraham into it, and Iblis suggested using some sort of catapult to throw Abraham into it. When Abraham was thrown there, the furnace was transformed into a watered and flowering garden (P. Lory in Dictionary of the Koran, edited by Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi, 2007, pp. 597-98).

The dating of the painting is induced by the outfits of the characters making up the crowd. Although some of the young men wear Zand outfits, young princes are wearing the crown of Fath Ali Shah Qâjâr (r. 1797-1834), allowing the painting to be dated to the reign of the first Qâjâr ruler.