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Princess with Wine Bottle and Cup (recto); Persian Verses (verso)
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Princess with Wine Bottle and Cup (recto); Persian Verses (verso)

c. 1550–1600 (recto); c. 1450–1500 (verso) · opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

Single-page depictions of courtly figures became popular in Iran during the 1500s. The subject here conveys Safavid ideals of female beauty. Long dark hair falls in jeweled braids down to her ankles, while shorter tendrils frame her full, smooth face. She is shown in the three-quarter profile favored in Persian painting. The contrasting colors of the bright blue of her robe and the orange of her sash and tunic beneath are features of Safavid fashion.

Cleveland Museum of Art’s own description
Credit linePrincess with Wine Bottle and Cup (recto); Persian Verses (verso), c. 1550–1600 (recto); c. 1450–1500 (verso). Iran, Qazvin or Isfahan, Safavid period (1501-1722) (recto); Iran, possibly Timurid period (1370-1501) (verso). Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper; verso image: 11.8 x 5.3 cm (4 5/8 x 2 1/16 in.); recto image: 12.2 x 5.7 cm (4 13/16 x 2 1/4 in.); overall: 37.1 x 24.8 cm (14 5/8 x 9 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Edward L. Whittemore Fund, 1947.496
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