Men Preparing Some Sort of Intoxicant in the Country. Dimensions: H. 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm)
W. 5 in. (12.7 cm). Date: mid-17th century.
Gatherings of dervishes preparing and partaking of intoxicants in the countryside were popular in Iran from about 1615 until the mid-17th century. At least five figures in this composition are based on earlier versions of this scene. However, the scribe and his companion at the lower left are unique to this drawing and introduce the notion of figures who witness but do not participate in the activities of the dervishes.