"How a Braggart was Drowned in a Well", Folio 33v from a Haft Paikar (Seven Portraits) of the Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja
ca. 1430
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
Painting: H. 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm) W. 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm) Page: H. 11in. (27.9 cm) W. 7 3/16 in. (18.3 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
13.228.13.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite folio, titled *"How a Braggart was Drowned a Well"* (Folio 33v), comes from a lavishly illustrated of the *Haft Paikar*— of the five epic poems Nizami of Ganja's renowned *Khamsa* (Quintet), composed in the 12th century. Created around 1430 by the artist Maulana Azhar, captures a dramatic moment from the tale of Bahram Gur, Sasanian king, whereris leads to a braggart's watery demise in a desert well. Surrounded by sparse trees, distant sands, and figures in dynamic poses, the scene blends moral allegory with vivid storytelling, a hallmark of Persian literature that influenced ce...
About the Artist
Maulana Azhar|Nizami ( | ) · 1450 |1141 –1501 |1209
died 1475/76|present-day Azerbaijan, Ganja 1141–1209 Ganja