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"Bahram Gur in the Dark Palace on Saturday", Folio 207 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja

Sultan Muhammad Nur|Mahmud Muzahib|Shaikh Zada|Nizami

A.H. 931/1524–25 CE

"Bahram Gur in the Dark Palace on Saturday", Folio 207 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja by Sultan Muhammad Nur|Mahmud Muzahib|Shaikh Zada|Nizami

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper

Dimensions

Painting: H. 8 in. (20.3 cm) W. 4 1/2 (11.4 cm) Page: H. 12 1/2 in. (31.9 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

Department

Islamic Art

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Gift of Alexander Smith Cochran, 1913

Accession Number

13.228.7.8

Tags

Musical InstrumentsKingsWomenMusic

Art Historical Context

This exquisite folio, titled *"Bahram Gur in the Palace on Saturday"* (Folio 207), comes from a lavishly illustrated *Khamsa* (Quintet)—a collection of five epic poems by 12th-century Persian poet Nami of Ganja. in 1524–25 CE during the Safavid dynasty in Persia, it depicts a legendary scene from the tale of Bahram Gur, Sasanian king famed for his adventures with seven princesses. Here, in the pitch-black Saturday palace ruled by the ebony-skinned princess, Bahram listens to haunting music, surrounded by women and instruments—a clever narrative device symbolizing sensory perception and royal p...

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