Groom and Rider
Unknown Artist
1540–50
Medium
Ink and watercolor on paper
Dimensions
Painting: H. 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm) W. 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm) Page: H. 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm) W. 3 7/16 in. (8.7 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 George D. Pratt, 1925
Accession Number
25.83.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled within the Islamic Art collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, *Groom and Rider* a delicate ink and watercolor painting on paper from 1540–50, likely a folio from a codex or illustrated manuscript. Measuring just 4 3/8 by 3 1/4 inches, this intimate work captures a groom attending to a rider and horse, evoking the equestrian world central to 16th-century Islamic culture. Gifted by George D. Pratt in 1925, it exemplifies the miniature tradition of Safavid Persia (modern Iran), where such scenes often adorned luxurious books of poetry, history, or epics. The unknown artist's maste...