Folio from a Divan (collected poems) by Sultan Ahmad Jalayir (d.1410); recto: River scene; verso: text

Among the Persian manuscripts in the Freer Gallery is a rare volume of poetry written by Sultan Ahmad, the last ruler of the Jalayirid dynasty (Iraq and western Iran, 1336-1410). The sultan's poems concern mystical themes, extolling divind love and praising God the creator. They are set off in this manuscript of the Diwan by delicate tinted drawings that seem to grow out from under the calligraphy and into the margins. Although these unusual scenes do not directly depict their nearest verses, they do evoke the idea of man's quest for spiritual enlightenment, a theme common to virtually all Persian mystical poetry.

This harmonious river scene enhances the poetic vision of an ideal universe where God's creations follow a unified natural rhythm. This work also epitomizes the classical style of Persian painting that began to develop in the second half of the fourteenth century under the auspices of royal patrons such as Sultan Ahmad Jalayirid.