Omar Khayyam Painting in Khatam-Kari Frame

About this piece

Details: Origin: Isfahan, Iran Age: Unknown Dimensions: 11.5” Width x 22.25” Height x 0.5” Thickness Description: This painting of Omar Kayyam is displayed in a very intricate Khatam-kari frame. Omar Kayyam is a famous Persian poet and philosopher who lived from 1048-1131. He was famous for making beautiful love poems, and he often discussed topics such as wine and beautiful women, both of which are depicted in this piece of art. He also promoted the idea that by being a good human being and by doing good deeds, you can naturally feel drunk or high. Omar Kayyam also was famous for being a talented mathematician and astronomer who was able to accurately calculate the cycles of time, the coming of the seasons, and the orbits of the moon and planets. In this piece Omar is depicted pondering the philosophical matters of life while a woman brings him wine to drink. Being drunk is a symbolic of high spirituality and humanities. The Khatam-kari frame was hand assembled from many very small pieces of cut and painted ivory coral and other semi precious stones. The frame took longer to create than the painting, and was intentionally used in conjunction with this painting to address how important the figure in the painting is.