Groom and Rider

This drawing goes against certain expectations about Persian painting in the sixteenth century. People imagine highly detailed, brightly colored scenes with many, many figures, and here we have just two colors, red and black and extraordinary economy of line. Persian society in the sixteenth century was quite literate. Artists such as the one who did this would have been expected to learn calligraphy with a reed pen. This marvelous pen could make a line narrower and then wider and suggest volume. The sort of calligraphic curves of the skirt of the groom’s robe couldn’t happen without his having been trained in writing elegant scripts. They’re masters at this kind of variation of texture. Short, sharp little lines give the sense of the fuzziness of the fur hat. Even the crinkling of the pant leg down near the rider’s foot is so tactile. With the most assured, simple line the artist has given all three beings character. The little groom has a smile on his face, the horseman has a sort of faint smile on his face, and even the horse has a very bright-eyed look. While it’s possible that this was a preliminary drawing, it’s such a finished piece. I think it communicates a kind of mood. It’s very light and airy. A sense of fluttering. The human figures and the horse all have some kind of buoyancy. It actually lifts you up. There’s no break in the line; there’s no hesitation in the hand of the artist. He’s absolutely sure of what he’s doing. That has a universal appeal over time. It is delicate, and elegant, and just beautiful.