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"Dancing Dervishes", Folio from a Divan of Hafiz

Poet Hafiz Iranian
Painting attributed to Bihzad Iranian
ca. 1480
Not on view
This miniature from a dispersed manuscript of the poems of Hafiz depicts Sufis or mystics dancing. In the court style of Herat, the rhythm set up by the whirling of the dancers contrasts with the meditative figures encircling them. Those overcome by the movement of the dance seen in the foreground exemplify the naturalism of this period, while the scene is set against a verdant landscape resembling an earthly paradise.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: "Dancing Dervishes", Folio from a Divan of Hafiz
  • Poet: Hafiz (Iranian, Shiraz ca. 1325–1390 Shiraz)
  • Artist: Painting attributed to Bihzad (Iranian, Herat ca. 1450–1535/36 Herat)
  • Date: ca. 1480
  • Geography: Attributed to present-day Afghanistan, Herat
  • Medium: Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
  • Dimensions: Painting: H. 6 5/16 in. (16 cm)
    W. 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm)
    Page: H. 11 3/4 in. (29.9 cm)
    W. 7 7/16 in. (18.9 cm)
    Mat: H. 19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm)
    W. 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm)
  • Classification: Codices
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.81.4
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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