Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

The Metropolitan Museum of Art


    • Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami, 1510
    Shiraz, Iran
    Leather binding, tooled and gilded

    11 1/2 x 7 in. (29.2 x 17.8 cm)
    Gift of Alexander Smith Cochran, 1913 (13.228.6)

    Manuscripts from the Safavid capital, such as this copy of Nizami's Khamsa, are notable for their high-quality illustrations and bindings. Characteristic of Persian doublures of this period is the contrasting colors of this example: the burgundy of the leather, the blue of the center and corner-pieces, and the gold gilding. Venetian Renaissance gilded leather bindings were particularly influenced by Safavid and Ottoman examples.

    Related


    This work has been published in the Museum's Bulletin or Journal. These articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship.
  • Grube, Ernst J. "The Miniatures of Shiraz." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 21, no. 9 (May, 1963).
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  • Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami, 1510
    Shiraz, Iran
    Leather binding, tooled and gilded

    11 1/2 x 7 in. (29.2 x 17.8 cm)
    Gift of Alexander Smith Cochran, 1913 (13.228.6)