Bahram Gur in the Sandalwood Pavilion (painting, verso; text, recto), folio from a manuscript of the Khamsa (Haft Paykar) by Nizami
Persian
This work illustrates the episode of Bahram Gur visiting the Chinese princess Yaghme in her sandalwood pavilion.
Here, too, the king and his bride sit together, served and entertained by female attendants and musicians, and colors of their clothing—gold and white—correspond with those of the pavilion dome. Although the figures are now larger in scale and their hair and headdress styles somewhat different, this painting, in comparison with the earlier one, shows the iconographic continuity of Safavid-period illustrations of the Haft paykar. Due to pigment deterioration, the appearance of the painting is seriously compromised.
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Safavid period