Manuscripts16th century

Layla and Majnun before the King Who Sees the Divine in Everything (painting recto, text verso of folio 33) from a manuscript of Subhat al-abrar by Jami

c. 1530-70

Description

The first illustration of this manuscript depicts the king who saw everything was the Divine: "He who appears in Layla's figure, He who looks on through Majnun's eyes."

Classification

Manuscripts

Medium

Ink, colors, and gold on paper

Period

Safavid period

Century

16th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Islamic & Later Indian Art

Provenance

Ezzat-Malek Soudavar, Geneva, Switzerland (by 2014), by descent; to her son Abolala Soudavar, Houston, Texas (2014), loan; to Harvard Art Museums, 2015. Note: Ezzat-Malek Soudavar (1913-2014) formed this collection over a period of sixty years. She purchased the works of art on the international art market.