Amir Khusrau the poet receives his friend Ali

Dateca. 1450

MakerIslamic Indian , probably Sayyid Sultanate (1414-1451)

Label TextHasht-Bihisht (translated to Eight Paradises) is one of five narrative poems that comprise the Khamsa (quintet). Authored by Amir Khusrau (ca. 1253–1325), it is considered one of the most important Persian works composed in South Asia. Similar to much medieval Persian poetry, Khusrau’s Khamsa harkens back to past literary genres, thematically emulating the Khamsa of another Persian poet, Nizami. Completed in the speedy Naskhi script, the Persian text envelops the bold painting of the figure of Amir Khusrau speaking with his friend Ali, who urges him to pen the Hasht-Bihisht. Its primary colors, horizontal picture format, double red rulings, and three-quarter profiles indicate that this folio was produced in the Sultanate period. The gesticulating hands bent at the wrist suggest that Ali and Khusrau are in the midst of conversation.

Object number63.39

Provenance[Heeramaneck Galleries, New York, New York]; purchased from gallery by Seattle Art Museum (Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection), January 25, 1963

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Images of Power, Dec. 12, 1986 - Sept. 21, 1987. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing [on view July 16 - Dec. 5, 2021].Published ReferencesArchives of Chinese Art Society of America, XVIII, page 82, #48 Brend, Barbara. “Perspectives on Persian Painting, Illustrations to Amir Khusrau's Khamsah.” London, New York: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003

Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection

Dimensions3 3/4 x 8 1/8 in. (9.53 x 20.64 cm) Overall h.: 11 3/4 in. Overall w.: 8 3/4 in.

MediumOpaque watercolor and ink on paper