Unknown Maker, Persian

Laila and Majnun at School

Maker

Unknown Maker, Persian

Culture

Persian

Title

Laila and Majnun at School

Period

Safavid

Year

ca. 1570

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink, watercolor, gold

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Shiraz; Origin: Iran

Dimensions

Sheet: 35.9 x 23.2 cm (14 1/8 x 9 1/8 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Edgar J. Lownes Fund

Object Number

45.069

Type

Publications

Exhibition History

Shahzia Sikander
Extraordinary Realities
Nov 12, 2021 – Jan 30, 2022

Label copy

This painting, from a copy of the manuscript Khamsa (Quintet) by the poet Nizami (1141-1209), illustrates the site where Laila and Majnun, protagonists of the story, fall in love. They are in school, surrounded by typical activities: students are preparing paper for use, exercising, reading, and writing. The architecture and patterning in Safavid-period works such as this one were among the inspirations for Sikander’s thesis painting, The Scroll.

Glimpses of Grandeur
Courtly Arts of the Later Islamic Empires
Sep 24, 1999 – Dec 26, 1999

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Persian
Laila and Majnun at School, ca. 1570
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Sheet: 35.9 x 23.2 cm (14 1/8 x 9 1/8 inches)
Edgar J. Lownes Fund 45.069

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