Lamp Stand

This distinctive tall, cylindrical shape is characteristic of a group of Safavid lamp stands which share a similar silhouette and ornamentation. Many are covered with lyrical and mystical verses by celebrated poets of the period, reflecting the important relationship between Persian poetry and the visual arts. Rhythmic, scrolling vegetal arabesques serve as a background for the interspersed verses in Persian nasta’liq script from Sa`di’s "The Moth and the Candle", which read:

"I remember a glance of your eye. I have heard that the moth said to the candle: I love you and if I shall be burned so be it. My tears and burning give you pleasure; I am the moth and it is my destiny to be burned; my heart is not quiet if I am not burned."

This poem references the story of the moth and the flame, a sufi allegory in which the moth (the believer) is spellbound by the light of the beloved (God). According to the sufis, this may be understood as a spiritual metaphor in which the moth represents the human soul, drawn passionately to the divine light, longing to be reunited with God.