![Riza-yi ‘Abbasi - The Lovers [c.1565-1635] by Gandalf's Gallery](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5527/9123045285_1e31827e32.jpg)
The artist Riza‑yi 'Abbasi revolutionised Persian painting and drawing with his inventive use of calligraphic line and unusual palette. He painted The Lovers toward the end of a long, successful career at the Safavid court. The subject of a couple entwined reflects a newly relaxed attitude to sensuality introduced in the reign of Shah Safi. Here the figures are inextricably bound together, merged volumes confined within one outline.
[Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York - Opaque watercolour, ink, and gold on paper, 17.5 x 11.1 cm]