2-738-681 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Princess with Wine Bottle and Cup (recto); Persian Verses (verso), c. 1550-1600 (recto); c. 1450-1500 (verso). 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 colours of the bright blue of her robe and the orange of her sash and tunic beneath are features of Safavid fashion.