ManuscriptsPersian16th century

Majnun visited by his father in the desert (painting, verso; text, recto), folio from a manuscript of the Layla and Majnun by Nizami

1584

Description

In the tragic romance between Layla and Qays (later known as majnun—“mad” or “possessed”), the two met and fell in love as schoolchildren. Layla’s father rejected Qays’s marriage proposal and separated the pair, and, on his orders, Layla married another man. Majnun, suffering the pain of unfulfilled love, felt that he could no longer be part of human society and became a recluse in the desert wilderness, living among the animals, who accepted his behavior and understood his agony. Although married, Layla remained faithful to Majnun and confined herself to writing poetry. In the tragic conclusion to the story, Majnun died on his beloved’s grave. The artist of this painting has illustrated an episode in which Majnun’s father visits the love-stricken man in the desert and pleads with him to return to his former life and family. Majnun is shown half naked, a piece of blue cloth tied around his waist, embracing and talking to a deer. Majnun's father fully clothed in a long brown coat and a white turban, gestures to his son.The landscape setting represents a desert oasis with a stream, trees, grass, and flowers. Majnun and his father are surrounded by animals, most of them in pairs whose members interact with each other, reinforcing the viewer’s impression of Majnun’s lonely solitude.

Classification

Manuscripts

Medium

Ink and opaque watercolor on paper

Culture

Persian

Period

Safavid period

Century

16th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Islamic & Later Indian Art

Dimensions

40.1 x 27.3 cm (15 13/16 x 10 3/4 in.)

Provenance

[Christies, London, 18 October 1994, lot 32]. [Mansour Gallery, London, 1994 or 1995], sold; to Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood, Belmont, MA (1994 or 1995 - 2002), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2002.