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