Arcadópolis
Nashmi the Archer
Reza Abbasi, 1630
What you see
Nashmi stands full-length, turned slightly to the left. A shaggy black fur hat with a red peak frames his long-nosed face. In one hand he raises a green glass water pipe and draws on its mouthpiece; lower down, the other hand grips his bow and a pair of arrows. He wears a black coat open over a brown tunic with a yellow sash.
Below show blue knee breeches, bare shins and white slippers. The golden beige ground holds clouds, grasses and a tall plant with gold leaves on the right. Watch for the smoke curling up from the pipe, the red and blue band tied around one ankle and the black inscription on the left.
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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