Tile painting depicting Bahram Gur and Fitna ('Practice Makes Perfect'), c. 1625-50, 35 1/8 x 26 5/8 in. ( x cm), Earthenware with underglaze painted decor in polychrome colors, Iran, Safavid period (1501-1736), This tile painting—which would have once decorated the interior of a great Isfahan palace—illustrates an episode in the love story of King Bahram Gur (r. 420–38 CE) and Fitna, an enslaved girl from western China. While the two are out hunting wild donkeys, Fitna challenges Bahram Gur to pin a donkey’s foot to its ear with an arrow.

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Size: 3938px × 5395px
Location:
Photo credit: © Penta Springs / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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