Hand painted painting on camel bone with a Persian miniature design of “Leyli and Majnun” with a “khatam kari” or marquetry frame.

Rectangular painting measuring 22 x 12 cm made of wood and hand painted on camel bone with a very fine miniature design inspired by the tragic love story of "Leyli and Majnun" which takes place in 7th century Arabia, often compared to that of Romeo and Juliet but with more than 1000 years of difference between the two and which also enjoys great popularity among the Turks and throughout the Middle East. Although this popular Arabic tale was already known previously in Persia, it was the innovative poetic work of Nizamí Ganjaví in the 12th century which popularised it in a spectacular way in the literary world and of which many versions and imitations have been made, considered as the most famous romance of Persian culture.

In the central scene, the two figures are worked with great delicacy thanks to the use of cat hair brushes, paying the utmost attention to detail; the artist plays with the golden colour, applying it to the sky and the landscape to create a dreamlike atmosphere and give a more luxurious appearance to the composition. In an idyllic setting in the middle of nature, Leyli plays the "setar", a plucked string instrument widely used in Persian musical culture, and both characters share a knowing and loving look. The frame is made using the laborious "khatam kari" (marquetry) technique, which gives the whole a special shine and an exquisite finish.

The tibia is usually used to make these works of art, which is treated in special workshops in a long and arduous process in which different chemical substances are applied to achieve a completely clean finish. The material is then cut to make the desired piece, sanded and after drawing the design with a pencil, it is painted with natural pigments. In the Persian miniature, the artist does not put so much emphasis on drawing human figures as on depicting luxurious clothing on the bodies of his characters, which gives a lot of scope to his creativity.

This magnificent work is the work of Master Chaichian, from Isfahan and one of the great miniaturists, a disciple of the famous artist Mahmud Farshchian, who has played a decisive role in the history of Persian miniature, both for his innovative character, fusing styles due to his training in Europe, and for his great contribution to the international expansion of this art, since his works have been exhibited in exhibitions and museums around the world. With his characteristic style Chaichian decorates with hunting scenes, literary and mythological characters, "chovgan" or "tazhib" all kinds of boxes and frames with inlays, objects made with camel bone such as jewelry boxes or kohl containers, ostrich eggs, backgammon and chess boards or traditional wooden mirrors among other things.