This folio depicts a well-known passage from the tragic story of Layla and Majnun described in the third book of Nizami's "Khamsah" (Quintet). Forcibly separated by their respective tribes' animosity, forced marriage, and years of exile into the wilderness, these two ill-fated lovers meet again for the last time before their deaths thanks to the intervention of Majnun's elderly messenger. Upon seeing each other in a palm-grove immediately outside of Laylah's camp, they faint of extreme passion and pain. The old man attempts to revive the lovers, while the wild animals protective of Majnun ("The King of Wilderness") attack unwanted intruders.
The location and time of the narrative is hinted at by the two tents dressed in the middleground and the dark nighttime sky in the background. The composition's style and hues are typical of paintings made in the city of Shiraz during the second half of the 16th century. Many manuscripts at this time were produced for the domestic market and international export, rather than by royal commission.
This particular painting appears to have been executed at the same time as the text of the "Khamsah" proper, which survives on the painting's verso.
Script: nasta'liq
Dimensions of Painting: Recto: 12.2 (w) x 16.7 (h) cm