Punishment, Western Safavid Iran, late 16th century Manuscript folio on paper, the 10-line text in Persian nasta'liq in black ink spread over two columns on either side of a title inscribed in reserve in a gilded cartouche. The other side features a gouache and gold illustration of a man kneeling at the foot of a second man, who appears to be begging for mercy under the threat of a whip held in his hand by a third man. The scene is set in a landscape planted with two cypress trees and a blossoming tree under a golden sky. The text is poetic, taken from Hafez's Ghazaliat. Dim. folio: 17.2 x 9.8 cm; illustration: 14.9 x 10.5 cm; album page: 22.9 x 15.4 cm Bends, a few stains, small repaints.