Lot 186 AN ILLUSTRATED FOLIO FROM A PERSIAN EPIC, SA'DI KULLIYAT, SAFAVID, 17TH CENTURY
Gouache heightened with gold on paper, with text in Persian Nastaliq script in clouds reserved against a sprinkled gold ground, depicting a story from the first chapter of Kulliyat al-Sa'di (On the Conduct of Kings). Laid down on an album page, the margins are stylized with gilt blossoming lotus scrolls.
Text: 22 by 13.5 cm.
Page: 35.5 by 22.5 cm.
The painting and the text depict a story in which a king orders the execution of a captive. However, in a state of despair, the captive curses the king. At that moment, a minister tells the king that the captive is merely expressing anger and rage. The king, moved by the captive’s lack of self-control, takes pity on him and refrains from carrying out the execution. Another minister, who strongly disagrees, argues that one should always speak the truth. But the king replies that sometimes a convenient lie is better than the truth.