An Episode from the Story of the Sasanian King Khusrau and His Beloved Shirin, from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami (1141–1209) (verso)

1540–70

An Episode from the Story of the Sasanian King Khusrau and His Beloved Shirin, from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami (1141–1209) (verso), 1540–70. Iran, probably Shiraz, Safavid period (1501-1722). Opaque watercolor, ink, gold, and silver on paper; sheet: 29.6 x 16.2 cm (11 5/8 x 6 3/8 in.); image: 21 x 14 cm (8 1/4 x 5 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1947.500.b Khusrau’s turban has the anachronistic baton worn by Safavid royalty and the egret feather, an emblem of nobility instituted by the Mongols in the 1200s.