- Title
- Preparations for a Feast: Folio from a Manuscript of the Kulliyat of Bushaq At‘ima
- Date Made
- circa 1570
- Medium
- Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
- Dimensions
- 9 3/4 × 6 in. (24.8 × 15.24 cm)
Image: 8 1/4 × 5 1/2 in. (20.96 × 13.97 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.2021.94
- Collecting Area
- Art of the Middle East: Islamic
- Curatorial Notes
Abu Ishaq Shirazi, called Bushaq At‘ima (d. 1423 or 1427), is best known for his poetic work Diwan-i at‘ima (Book of Edibles), also surviving as the Kulliyat-i bushaq, which is entirely dedicated to food. More than a collection of food poetry, the Persian text gives the names of dishes, their ingredients, and even the festive occasions for serving them. Bushaq’s work includes parodies of classic poets such as Sa‘di, Hafiz, and Firdawsi in which he substitutes culinary terminology while preserving the original meter and rhyme.
Attesting to the widespread popularity and longevity of Bushaq’s food poetry, this late 16th-century painting is a detached folio from an otherwise unknown illustrated version of his collected works. It does not reflect the accompanying text but rather suggests the outcome of putting the verse into practice by preparing a meal. The figure in white, wearing an apron and wielding a red stick to hurry along the servers, is probably the bavarchi (chef), while the figure in the yellow robe is likely the sufrachi, or table steward.
- Selected Bibliography
- Komaroff, Linda, editor. Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; New York: DelMonico Books, 2023.
