This painting depicts one of the most renowned scenes from the famous love story ‘Laila and Majnun’ – one of the five stories from the 12th century poet Nizami’s khamsa (quintet). The hero of this tale was Qays, the beloved son of an Arab chieftain of the Amiri tribe. Qays falls in love with his classmate Layla, a beautiful girl from another tribe. Qays becomes so enamoured with Layla that he becomes known as ‘Majnun’ (meaning crazed, or one possessed).The scene here shows an emaciated Majnun in the desert, seated amongst the animals that have become his companions. Ibex, gazelles, deer, lions, birds, wolves and buffalo are shown in pairs to highlight Majnun's lonely plight. The craggy landscape stretch desolately into the background and a single tree grows from the rocky ground to further emphasise the mood of the painting.Many Islamic literary works are centred on the issue of love. Often love in these tales are highly spiritual and represent the yearning of the soul for a spiritual connection with God.
