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Textile Depicting a Scene from Nizami's Khamsa

Author Nizami
16th–17th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 462
The imagery seen on this exquisitely woven cloth suggests the theme of love. The romance of King Khusrau and Princess Shirin, immortalized by the poet Nizami, is illustrated here, with the princess shown on horseback and the sculptor Farhad, hopelessly in love with Shirin, hacking a cleft in the mountain with his axe to bring his beloved a refreshing drink. Interspersed vertically and horizontally with these and other pictorial elements are cartouches filled with verses of unidentified authorship:

The splendor of your figure comes from beauty

It has given life to this outer cloak

There has never been a garment of such beauty

One might say it has been woven from the threads of your soul.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Textile Depicting a Scene from Nizami's Khamsa
  • Author: Nizami (present-day Azerbaijan, Ganja 1141–1209 Ganja)
  • Date: 16th–17th century
  • Geography: Attributed to Iran
  • Medium: Silk, metal wrapped thread; double-weave
  • Dimensions: Textile:
    L. 25 3/4 in. (65.4 cm)
    W. 14 3/8 in. (36.5 cm)
    Mount:
    H. 29 1/2 in. (74.9 cm)
    W. 18 in. (45.7 cm)
    D. 2 1/4 in. (5.7 cm)
    Wt. 8 lbs. (3.6 kg)
  • Classification: Textiles-Woven
  • Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1946
  • Object Number: 46.156.7
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
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"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
"Khusrau Spies Shirin Bathing", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja, Nizami, Ink, opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper
"Khusrau Spies Shirin Bathing", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja
Nizami
16th century
"Khusrau and Shirin Conversing in Landscape at Night", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja, Nizami, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on unpolished paper
"Khusrau and Shirin Conversing in Landscape at Night", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja
Nizami
ca. 1625–30
Pages of Calligraphy from a Sharafnama (Book of Honour) of Nizami of Ganja, Nizami, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Pages of Calligraphy from a Sharafnama (Book of Honour) of Nizami of Ganja
Nizami
ca. 1620–30
Page of Calligraphy from a Sharafnama (Book of Honour) of Nizami of Ganja, Nizami, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Page of Calligraphy from a Sharafnama (Book of Honour) of Nizami of Ganja
Nizami
ca. 1620–30

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