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"Bahram Gur in the Yellow Palace on Sunday", Folio 213 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja

931 AH/1524–25 CE
Not on view
The Haft Paikar (Seven Portraits) is one of the five poems of the Khamsa of Nizami. The poetry is mystical, illustrating the supremacy of divine love over earthly pleasures. In the story, Bahram Gur marries seven princesses from the seven regions of the world and visits each one in her own pavilion on successive nights. Here, he and the princess of Rum sit in the yellow pavilion beneath a starry sky. The bold yellows of the figures’ robes pop against the intricate patterns of the tilework and carpets, and the objects surrounding the couple provide a glimpse of the luxury goods of the early sixteenth century. Although this manuscript was completed during the Safavid period, it displays a continuity with the painting styles of Timurid Herat. The artist, Shaikh Zada, was a pupil of the master painter Bihzad.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: "Bahram Gur in the Yellow Palace on Sunday", Folio 213 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja
  • Author: Nizami (present-day Azerbaijan, Ganja 1141–1209 Ganja)
  • Calligrapher: Sultan Muhammad Nur (Iranian, ca. 1472–ca. 1536)
  • Calligrapher: Mahmud Muzahib (Iranian, ca. 1500–1560)
  • Artist: Painting by Shaikh Zada (Iranian, active 1510–1550)
  • Date: 931 AH/1524–25 CE
  • Geography: Made in present-day Afghanistan, Herat
  • Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper
  • Dimensions: Painting: H. 7 1/2 in. (19.1 cm)
    W. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm)
    Page: H. 12 5/8 in. (32.1 cm)
    W. 8 3/4 in. (22.2 cm)
    Mat: H. 19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm)
    W. 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm)
  • Classification: Codices
  • Credit Line: Gift of Alexander Smith Cochran, 1913
  • Object Number: 13.228.7.9
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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"Battle between Alexander and Darius", Folio 279 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja, Nizami, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
"Battle between Alexander and Darius", Folio 279 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja
Nizami
Sultan Muhammad Nur
931 AH/1524–25 CE
"Khusrau Catches Sight of Shirin Bathing", Folio 50 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja, Nizami, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
"Khusrau Catches Sight of Shirin Bathing", Folio 50 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja
Multiple artists/makers
dated 931 AH/1524–25 CE
Overflap and Inside Cover of a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja, Nizami, Binding: leather; embossed, gold, and color <br/>Manuscript: ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Overflap and Inside Cover of a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja
Multiple artists/makers
dated 931 AH/1524–25 CE
"Alexander at a Banquet", Folio 321b from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja, Nizami, Ink, opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper
"Alexander at a Banquet", Folio 321b from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja
Nizami
Sultan Muhammad Nur
dated 931 AH/1524–25 CE
"Khusrau Seated on his Throne", Folio 64 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja, Nizami, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
"Khusrau Seated on his Throne", Folio 64 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja
Multiple artists/makers
dated 931 AH/1524–25 CE

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