The Lovers, Riza-yi ’Abbasi, 1630.

This fragile watercolor from New York’s Metropolitan Museum, using ink and gold, is small, just 4x7 inches. However, its sensual nature was striking for its time, heralding a fresh attitude towards sexuality in Iran. The hand inside the dress, the exposed navel, the cup of wine on the knee, the carafe and grapes in the foreground, all join to create a certain atmosphere. The artist’s delicate calligraphic line can barely contain the building emotion. What should we make of the similar, relatively calm, expressions on their faces--and the fact that three out of four hands touch or approach head or face?