Ordered by his father Isfandiyar to bring Rustam to him in chains, Bahman spies the great hero of Iran from atop a mountain. Fearful of Rustam’s strength and wishing to avoid confronting him in direct combat, Bahman dislodges a boulder and hurls it down the mountainside at the unsuspecting hero. Despite the concerned shouts of his brothers, Rustam does not move from roasting his onager and instead sticks out a leg to calmly brush the oncoming missile aside.
In contrast to the majority of the preceding and following lots attributed to Safavid Shiraz, this painting is a very good example of the Shiraz school of circa 1440. The landscape and facial features - into which the artist has clearly taken gret care painting - are much more Turkic in feel than later Safavid work.