"Preparation For a Noon-Day Meal," Folio from a Divan (Collected Works) of Mir 'Ali Shir Nava'i
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
Painting: H. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm) W. 5 7/8 in. (14.9 cm) Page: H. 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm) W. 6 13/16 in. (17.3 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
13.228.21.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite folio, titled *Preparation for a Noon-Day Meal*, from the *Divan* (collected poetic works) of the renowned 15th-century Timurid poet Mir 'Ali Nava'i. Illustrated by the Safavid artist Qasim 'Ali ofaz around 1580, it exemplifies golden age of Persian manuscript illumination during Persia's Safavid dynasty. Nava'i, a master of Chagatai Turkish, celebrated themes of love, nature, and daily life in his verses, and this painting brings one such scene to vivid life amid the poetry's elegant script. Rendered in ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper—a hallmark of Persian miniature ...
About the Artist
Qasim 'Ali of Shiraz|Mir 'Ali Shir Nava'i (Iranian| ) · |1416 – |1476
Iranian|Herat 1441–1501 Herat