Illustrations to the “Sab‘a Sayara” (“Seven Planets”)

The fourth epic of “Khamsa” by Alisher Navoi is “Sab‘a Sayara”.

In the illustrations to the “Sab‘a Sayara” (“Seven Planets”) a “Timurid legacy” can be traced, in particular, in “costumes of Herati citizens of the end of the 15 th century” and traditional compositions of the depiction of pavilionpalaces of different colours, in which Bahram Gur spends seven nights. This is how Nizami’s Quintet was usually illustrated. Some of the scenes that were present in Nizami’s and repeated in Navoi’s poem “Laili va Majnun”, were also illustrated with an eye to the older tradition. It is clear that “Laili and Majnun in school”, and “Shapur giving Shirin’s letter to Farhad” are the least successful miniatures.

They share in common a background of green grass and flowers, mismatched figures and faces, awkward poses and an overall imbalanced composition.