The Garden of Heavenly Creatures - album page
Historical period: Safavid period, mid-16th century
Medium: ink, color wash, and gold on paper
Dimensions: H x W (drawing): 27.9 × 17.3 cm (11 × 6 13/16 in)
Geography Probably Iran Credit Line Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment - Accession Number F1950.2
Description via Smithsonian: “Set in a garden, the image depicts a group of angels, referred to as huris or paris in Persian, entertaining their queen by playing music, dancing, and serving food and wine. The drawing's lively mood echoes other Persian representations of outdoor banquets or bazm (a form of celebration with wine and music) ceremonies, with the exception that this fine drawing features heavenly creatures--a favorite subject matter in sixteenth-and seventeenth-century Iran and Turkey--instead of the princely figures seen in illustrations to lyrical poetry by Hafiz and Assar”
