AN INSCRIBED DOUBLE-PAINTING FEATURING KHUSRAU SPYING ON SHIRIN BATHING, ISFAHAN SCHOOL, SAFAVID DYNASTY

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AN INSCRIBED DOUBLE-PAINTING FEATURING KHUSRAU SPYING ON SHIRIN BATHING, ISFAHAN SCHOOL, SAFAVID DYNASTY Iran, 16th-17th century. Ink, gouache, silver, and gold on paper. Meticulously painted with delicate brushwork, featuring two paintings, the upper image depicting Shirin taking a bath and combing her long hair, with Khusrau on horseback spying on her, his figure partly hidden behind gently bent and twisted rockwork, amid a lush landscape. The lower image features a group of noblemen centered by a prince, who is resting on cushions, backed by walls and floors decorated with intricately detailed geometric patterns. The images are further framed within fine floral bands, and a wider border of vibrant blue and gilt, depicting birds, deer, and mythical beasts amid leafy shrubs and rocks. The top right corner of the upper image with a short Persian inscription. Dimensions: Sheet size 41.2 x 30.7 cm, Size incl. frame 42.5 x 32.4 cm Framed behind glass. (2) In the epic romance Khusrau and Shirin by the 12th-century poet Nizami Ganjavi, the spying scene is an iconic moment. It depicts the Persian King Khusrau secretly watching the Armenian Princess Shirin bathing in a stream while traveling, though at this point in the tale, they have only seen each other's portraits. For an earlier depiction of this subject, see a folio from a Khusraw u Shirin dated ca. 1400 in the Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number F1931.32. Literature comparison: Compare a related painting of a Sage and Youth by Muhammad Zaman ibn Haji Yusuf, dated 1643/1689, in the Portland Art Museum, accession number 70.27.14. Compare a related Isfahan School painting of a drinking party, after Muhammadi, dated circa 1640, in the British Museum, registration number 1920,0917,0.300. Compare a related double frontispiece painting depicting a Gathering of Learned Men on a Terrace, dated c. 1600, in the David Collection, inventory number 18/1970 & 29/1962. Compare a related Persian miniature depicting a wild elephant herd with a similar wide gold-decorated blue-ground border, dated 1640-1650, in the Museum of Islamic Art, Berlin, identification number I. 4596 fol. 16 v. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s London, 24 October 2024, lot 58 Price: GBP 11,970 or approx. EUR 15,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the related manner of painting with similar facial features. Note the size (23.3 x 14.8 cm), calligraphy, and that the painting shows only a single scene unlike the present lot.

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