"Bahram Gur Sees a Herd of Deer Mesmerized by Dilaram' s Music", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi

Miskin|Amir Khusrau Dihlavi

1597–98 · Main support: ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper Margins: gold on dyed paper · Islamic Art

Approximately one century after the Persian poet Nizami wrote his Khamsa (Quintet), the Indian poet Amir Khusrau Dihlavi composed a response using Nizami’s structure but varying his stories slightly. This painting comes from the Mughal emperor Akbar’s (r. 1556–1605) personal copy of Amir Khusrau’s verses. It shows the king Bahram Gur with his beautiful slave girl, Dilaram, who could make animals sleep or awaken with the sound of her music.

Artist

Miskin|Amir Khusrau Dihlavi

Date

1597–98

Medium

Main support: ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper Margins: gold on dyed paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Gift of Alexander Smith Cochran, 1913