"Preparation for a Feast", Folio from a Divan of Jami
Unknown Artist
late 15th century
Medium
Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions
Painting: H. 6 15/16 in. (17.6 cm) W. 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm) Page: H. 11 1/8 in. (28.2 cm) W. 7 in. (17.8 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
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1952
Accession Number
52.20.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite folio, titled *Preparation for a Feast*, from a *Divan*—a celebrated collection of poetry by the Persian Sufi poet Jami (1414–1492). by an unknown artist in the late 15th century during the Timurid era in Persia, it captures a lively scene of men diligently working to ready a grand banquet. Servants bustle with trays of food, vessels, and linens, evoking the opulent hospitality central to Persian courtly life. As part of an illuminated manuscript codex, the painting served to visually enhance Jami's lyrical verses, blending literature and art in a tradition of poetic illustratio...