Publication Date
The second half of the tenth century AH / the second half of the sixteenth century AD
Publication Place
-
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Subject
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
21.5 × 14 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
M.2000.135
Record ID
object;EPM;us;Mus21;42;ar
Library Location
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Date
The second half of the tenth century AH / the second half of the sixteenth century AD
Notes
The Turkmen prisoner is a common subject in Iranian art. The image was copied and interpreted in both drawings and paintings, which may be intended to be placed in albums. The prisoner depicted here, as in all other representations, is shackled with a palahang, a device made of a forked branch which is connected to the prisoner's wrists by an additional collar of wood or metal. The cross bar behind the prisoner's neck completes the restraint. Specifically, the physical composition and clothing of the prisoners indicate his Turkmen origin. He wears a sleeveless outer garment over a long-sleeved dress with a knotted sash, and his head is covered by a peaked hat. The distinctive thing is that he carries a sheathed sword, a dagger, a quiver with arrows, a bow, a box, a club, and a whip. Unsurprisingly, given his many weapons, he does not appear humiliated by his captivity, but far from being under the yoke, such imprisoned figures are often indistinguishable from contemporary paintings of well-dressed and armed Uzbek princes. Based on the Persian poetry by Amir Shahi of Sabzavar (died 857 AH/1453 AD) surrounding the painting, it is possible that he gives a less literal meaning to this depiction of the prisoner. The stanzas refer to the torment of one-sided love, and this is a common theme in classical Persian poetry. The claim to stay in the beloved’s street at night and the lover’s moans: “Happy is the prisoner who has someone to save him,” and this is what is inscribed almost like an address under the captive’s bent leg.
Sample Text
"Turkmen Prisoner" in Discover Islamic Art Collections. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;EPM;us;Mus21;42;ar
