THE VIRTUAL WINE MUSEUM - LE MUSÉE VIRTUEL DU VIN

Seated under a tree beside a stream, Shah Abbas I is offered wine by a young cup bearer he seems to be rather fond of, as his arm is around his shoulders. The scene takes place at a feast, and may well have been drawn at one of the entertainments this ruler used to give just before the beginning of the Iranian New Year on 21 March. As is common in this period, the painter has included a short poem beside his signature: 'May life bring you all you desire of three lips: the lip of your lover, the lip of the stream, and the lip of the cup.'

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On his head here is the cap he wore as a souvenir of his campaigns in the Caucasus. His sumptuous garments, like those of his cup bearer, remind one of the splendid fabrics that were woven in Persia and exported all over the world by Armenian merchants. European travellers remarked on the shah's taste for wine and festivities, and also noted his penchant for charming pages and cup bearers. If he were not wearing a turban, the curly hair and ambiguous beauty of the young man here might suggest a woman. The crystal flask holds the wine which the youth has poured into the king's cup from a flask of gold (From Louvre Museum).