This miniature painting shows a scene from the Khamsa (Quintet) composed by the 12th century Azeri poet Nizami-ye Ganjavi. It depicts the union of the lovers Khusrau and Shirin elevated on a mountain of nine mattresses, surrounded by monumental candles, golden dishes, and cushions for their crowns.Nizami-ye Ganjavi is considered one of the greatest romantic epic poets of Persian literature, renowned for his lyrical and sensuous style, and his mastery of the 'masnavi' style (double-rhymed verse). The Khamsa of Nizami is a collection of five classical poems and this illustrated scene here is from Khusrau and Shirin (1177-1180), one of the five stories in the Khamsa.
