Arcadópolis
Lady with a Mirror
Reza Abbasi, 1618
What you see
The lady fills most of the page, seated on the ground and leaning back against a large blue cushion on the left. One hand rises to her head; the other holds a round mirror. She wears a green robe open at the front, a pink shawl and a plumed cap. Barefoot, she has set her slippers down in front, near a carafe of wine and some fruit.
The cushion holds a picture of its own: on a dark blue ground, a youth in a white turban and orange clothes sits beneath a tree. Behind the lady grows a tree with golden leaves, and tall grasses curve on the right. Watch for the two strands of pearls at her neck, her anklet and the calligraphy in the band at the top.
About Reza Abbasi
Reza Abbasi (c. 1565–1635), also called Aqa Riza, was the leading artist at the court of Shah Abbas I, who gave him the honorary title “Abbasi” in 1603. Although he also illustrated manuscripts, his specialty was single pages for albums, with one or two elegant figures drawn in a flowing, calligraphic line. He signed and dated many of his works, and his style influenced many later Persian painters, such as his pupil Mu'in Musavvir and his own son, Shafi Abbasi.
More by Reza Abbasi
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