"Marriage of Khusrau and Shirin", Folio 104 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja
The second poem of Nizami’s Khamsa (Quintet) is a romantic epic tale concerning the last great Sasanian ruler, Khusrau II, and his beloved Armenian princess, Shirin. While their union is delayed by many trials, tribulations, and intervening marriages, eventually the two are happily wed. This painting depicts their marriage, set within a crystalline architectural composition. Great care is lavished upon the details of the building, suggesting that the artist may have intended to depict a specific structure. Over the heads of the couple appears an invocation to God—"Oh! Opener of Doors!" The inscription on the portico above, dated Rajab 913 (April–May 1525), is contemporaneous with the colophon of the manuscript.
Artwork Details
- Title: "Marriage of Khusrau and Shirin", Folio 104 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: dated 931 AH/1524–25 CE
- Geography: Made in present-day Afghanistan, Herat
- Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
- Dimensions: Painting: H. 7 in. (17.8 cm)
W. 4 3/4 in. (12.1 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: 13.228.7.6
- Curatorial Department: Islamic Art
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Nizami
Sultan Muhammad Nur
931 AH/1524–25 CE
Multiple artists/makers
dated 931 AH/1524–25 CE
Multiple artists/makers
dated 931 AH/1524–25 CE
Nizami
Sultan Muhammad Nur
dated 931 AH/1524–25 CE
Multiple artists/makers
dated 931 AH/1524–25 CE
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