Nizami adapted Layla wa Majnun from a 7th century tale of tragic forbidden love. When Qays and Layla are not allowed to be together, it sends Qays crazy, majnun in Arabic, and he runs away to live in the desert. The image of Majnun in the wilderness, included in this group, was a particularly popular one for artists and a painting of the same scene but dated circa 1550 was sold in these Rooms, 31 October 2021, lot 22. Comparison of the two demonstrates well how quicky Shiraz painting developed over this relatively short period, moving away from the somewhat spare and naive style depicted here towards far more detailed and colourful compositions.
The paintings in this group include:
1. Layla and Majnun in school
2. Majnun in the Wilderness
3. Layla and Majnun pass out upon being reunited