Arcadópolis
Young Woman with a Fan
Reza Abbasi, c. 1590–1600
What you see
The young woman stands full-length, her head turned slightly to the left. She wears a dotted blue headscarf, a black plume and a long, full orange robe with short sleeves over green sleeves and striped cuffs. Over her shoulder rests a square fan with colored fringe, its handle running down to her hands and ending in tassels.
The ground is plain pale paper, with no landscape, and orange leads the palette alongside green and blue. A few folds shape the generous fall of the robe. The white of the face looks cracked. Watch for the gold design on the fan, the blue sash at her waist and the gold rosettes in the margin.
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
The Arcadópolis Museum has 443 public-domain works in 40 rooms, free to explore in 3D in your browser.