A page from Khamsa of Nizami - Khusrau and Shirin

Title
A page from Khamsa of Nizami - Khusrau and Shirin
Year/Period
AH 978/ 1570 CE
Region
Shiraz, Iran
Object Type
fragments (object portions), illuminated manuscripts
Material
gold leaf, gouache (paint), ink, paper (fiber product)
Technique
calligraphy (process), gouache (technique), illustration (process)
Dimension
Object size: 21.1 x 16.5 cm
Accession No.
2009-03598
Collection of
Asian Civilisations Museum

This miniature painting shows a scene from the Khamsa (Quintet) composed by the 12th century Azeri poet Nizami-ye Ganjavi. It depicts the union of the lovers Khusrau and Shirin elevated on a mountain of nine mattresses, surrounded by monumental candles, golden dishes, and cushions for their crowns.Nizami-ye Ganjavi is considered one of the greatest romantic epic poets of Persian literature, renowned for his lyrical and sensuous style, and his mastery of the 'masnavi' style (double-rhymed verse). The Khamsa of Nizami is a collection of five classical poems and this illustrated scene here is from Khusrau and Shirin (1177-1180), one of the five stories in the Khamsa.