Court Lady Pouring Wine (recto); Calligraphy of Lyrical Quatrains (verso)c. 1760; borders mid-1700s · Study 2013.348

Context from the museum

The artist has depicted a glass or crystal duck-headed decanter adorned with a gilded grapevine motif, signaling the contents. The red wine flows from the duck’s mouth into a tiny cup. Such bird-shaped wine vessels are vestiges of the blood sacrifices once part of ancient Persian court rituals. On the verso, floral sprigs illuminate the central calligraphic work, and paired verses have been written in smaller script all around the border. On this page, all the verses are about the beauty of—and longing for—the beloved.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

The bird-headed decanter evokes blood rites of kingship in pre-Islamic Iran.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected painting only measurement for Court Lady Pouring Wine (recto); Calligraphy of Lyrical Quatrains (verso) is 13 cm wide and 17.9 cm high, equivalent to approximately 5.1 × 7.0 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.73:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.02 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 4.3% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 143.5 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Court Lady Pouring Wine (recto); Calligraphy of Lyrical Quatrains (verso) in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 13 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?