"How a Braggart was Drowned in a Well", Folio 33v from a Haft Paikar (Seven Portraits) of the Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja

Maulana Azhar|Nizami

ca. 1430 · Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper · Islamic Art

This miniature is an illustration of the most dramatic episode in the tale told by the Moorish princess in the Green Paviliion on Monday. While traversing the desert, Bashr, a good and pious man, and his bragging and evil-minded traveling companion come upon a jar filled with pure water sunk into the sand. After they have quenched their thirst, the selfish companion insists upon bathing in the water, in spite of Bashr's pleas against polluting it. The water turns out to be a deep well fed by a spring, and the heedless companion drowns. The tale ends happily for the deserving Bashr. The well is shown from two different perspectives to aid the viewer's comprehension of the scene.

Artist

Maulana Azhar|Nizami

Date

ca. 1430

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Gift of Alexander Smith Cochran, 1913