Detail of “A Lover’s Plea”

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Subtle details in this illustration emphasize a link between the kneeling prince and one of Persian literature’s most famous broken-hearted lovers, the sculptor and engineer Farhad from the poet Nizami’s Khusraw and Shirin. Erroneously believing that his beloved Shirin has died, Farhad throws himself off a mountain. His ax, made with a pomegranate-wood handle, falls into a nearby rock, from which a healing pomegranate tree sprouts. In this image, both the bowl of pomegranates at the prince’s knee and the engineering compass tied to his waist sash suggest his association with Farhad.