An Illuminated Safavid Miniature of a Youth holding an Orange PERSIA, late C16th or early 17th century

An Illuminated Safavid Miniature of a Youth holding an Orange  Persia,ink on paper with Persian calligraphy above and below. c.1600

A refined and elegant Safavid miniature drawing in ink and wash on paper, depicting a kneeling youth delicately holding an orange. The young man is shown in elegant Persian attire with a wrapped turban, fine jewellery, and a gracefully tied sash at his waist. The figure’s robe is adorned with finely sketched animal and floral designs, a hallmark of elite Safavid textiles. His turban, sash, and sword suggest noble or princely status. Sparse but confident lines align this work with muraqqaʿ album-style drawings, often attributed to artists in the orbit of Riza-yi Abbasi and his pupils.
The delicate rendering of line and contour demonstrates the Safavid mastery of draftsmanship and portraiture, emphasizing the poetic elegance of youth — a recurrent theme in Persian art and literature.

Dimensions: 23 x 13.5 cm; image 14 x 7 cm
The folio is framed within illuminated borders decorated with gold flecks and ruled lines in blue and black. Inscriptions in fine nasta‘liq script appear above and below the image, enhancing the refinement of the composition.

The calligraphy panels are likely later additions, as was common in album mounting. They appear to be Persian couplets in nastaʿliq script, possibly poetic verses describing youth, beauty, or wine.
This type of drawing was not meant as a preparatory sketch, but as a finished work of art—collected by connoisseurs and preserved in albums.

Transliteration (approximate):
Lower panel
ḥusn cho mānuʿ shavad az ʿilm shikan kun qalam
karam biyāb wa dilash bīrābid shud yā ḥaram
Translation (approximate):
“When beauty becomes forbidden by knowledge, break the pen.
Let there be generosity, so that the heart may be cleansed as in a sanctuary.”
Upper panel
shab rā gozarān wa del az ruz-i qiyāmat bataras
arzān na shawad gar chi baqāyi sīn-i zībad
Translation (approximate):
“Let the night pass, but let your heart fear the Day of Judgment.
Life is not cheap, even if one’s breast is full of grace.”