Painting in Bustan: Yusuf seduced by Zulaykha in a fairytale palace

Berg, G.R. van den (2021)

Blog entry

At the end of the 15th century, the Timurid ruler Sultan Husayn Bayqara had a splendid court in the city of Herat, in present-day Afghanistan. He commissioned the manufacturing of an illustrated manuscript of the Bustan or “Orchard”, a book of counsel written by the Persian poet Sa’di two centuries before. For this manuscript, the master painter Kamal al-Din Bihzad made a painting to illustrate the anecdote of the seduction of Yusuf, in which he depicted Zulaykha chasing Yusuf from room to room in a labyrinth-like palace.

• Persian painting
• Sa'di
• Yusuf and Zulaykha
• Timurid

• All authors: Berg, G.R. van den
• Date: 2021-10-30
• Title of host publication: Yusuf seduced by Zulaykha in a fairytale palace
• Link: https://thingsthattalk.net/en/t/ttt:TqTbzG/details
• Sponsorship: NWO
• Grant number: 277-69-001