"Interior Reception", Folio 36r from a Bustan of Sa`di

Shaikh Zada|Sa'di

ca. 1525–35 · Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper · Islamic Art

The Bustan of Sa’di, completed in 1257, combines moral advice with illustrative anecdotes. The manuscript to which this painting belongs was likely copied in Herat, but it was illustrated for an Uzbek patron several years later, probably in Bukhara in the 1530s. The Bukharan school of painting, which was influenced by the Herat style, is characterized by a bright palette and the use of a black ground to set off fine arabesque designs. This scene of an interior reception, with its intricately patterned textiles and tiles and fine metal objects and weaponry, provides a glimpse into the types of luxury goods found in the early sixteenth century.

Artist

Shaikh Zada|Sa'di

Date

ca. 1525–35

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Purchase, Louis V. Bell Fund and The Vincent Astor Foundation Gift, 1974