The Story of Nushirwan and his Minister, "The Third Discourse on Diverse Events and Disorder in Life" from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami (1141–1209) (verso) (1555–65): Art, History and Details

The Story of Nushirwan and his Minister, "The Third Discourse on Diverse Events and Disorder in Life" from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami (1141–1209) (verso) (1555–65) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This scene is from the Makhzan al-Ashrar, the first of the Quintet. Although more historically oriented than the following poems, it served more as a vehicle for moralizing tales than for historical events. In this scene Nushirwan asks the sage Buzurgmihr to explain what the owls perched on a ruined building are saying. He explains that one owl is offering the other as many ruined cities as he likes in exchange for his daughter's hand. He thus reproves Nushirwan for his love of conquest and war and the consequent destruction of many cities.

Object facts

• Title: The Story of Nushirwan and his Minister, "The Third Discourse on Diverse Events and Disorder in Life" from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami (1141–1209) (verso)
• Date: 1555–65
• Culture: Iran, Qazvin, Safavid period (1501-1722)
• Type: Manuscript
• Technique: ink and gold on paper
• Dimensions: Sheet: 32.7 x 21.8 cm (12 7/8 x 8 9/16 in.); Text area: 20.3 x 12.7 cm (8 x 5 in.)
• Collection: Islamic Art
• Department: Islamic Art
• Accession number: 1944.487.b

A detail from the museum

King Nushirwan is on a white horse, while his minister Buzurjmihr is riding a mule.

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.