"A Scene of Conviviality at Court", Folio from a Divan (Collected Works) of Mir 'Ali Shir Nava'i

Mir 'Ali Shir Nava'i|Qasim 'Ali of Shiraz

1580 · Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper · Islamic Art

Mir ‘Ali Shir Nava’i was a statesman, patron of the arts, and acclaimed champion of Chaghatayid Turkish poetry. This bazm (feast) scene is the right-hand folio of a double-page composition; the other page depicts the preparation of a feast. Here a prince is seated on a platform in a courtyard surrounded by guests and attendants. Fruit and wine are served as ladies dance to the rhythm of the dayira (tambourine) while poetry is recited. The inclusion of a royal bazm scene in an anthology of this kind suggests the important role of mystical poetry at such gatherings.

Artist

Mir 'Ali Shir Nava'i|Qasim 'Ali of Shiraz

Date

1580

Medium

Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Gift of Alexander Smith Cochran, 1913