Khusraw Watching Shirin Bathing

Transcribed by Yār Muḥammad al-Haravī and illuminated by Abd al-Wahhāb ibn ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ ibn ʿAlī, this 16th-century folio was produced in Herat (present-day Afghanistan) as part of a manuscript of Nizami Ganjavi’s Khamsa (Quintet). It was one of many illustrated interpretations of Nizami’s celebrated cycle of five narrative epics, which offered artists across the Persianate sphere a wide range of scenes that inspired rich artistic experimentation. Of the manuscript's thirty-five illustrations, this folio features one of the most recognizable scenes from Khosrow and Shirin, a medieval romance especially favored in Persianate courtly culture.

Unlike many other elaborately bound Khamsa manuscripts whose provenance has been lost over time, this example includes seal impressions and ownership statements that provide rare insight into its former ownership. First owned by the collector Muhammad Ashraf ibn Muḥammad Khātam al-Ḥusaynī, it was later purchased by an individual named Husayn in the 1890s, before eventually being acquired by Henry Walters.

Notably, the miniature was repainted in 18th-century India—presumably during Ashraf’s ownership—a common practice for elite collectors seeking to preserve or enhance their manuscripts. Understanding how the folio was retouched centuries after its original production reveals how manuscript owners worked to maintain and revitalize their collections, ensuring that visual vibrancy endured over time.