Reza Abbasi demonstrates something distinct with this simple, and beautiful, painting: that artists have always worked for their skill. As this is a study, one can assume Abbasi had been attempting to learn how to form the shape of a bird within his work, or perhaps even taking the opportunity for a practice painting before he began a larger, more detailed work. While Abbasi is known for his portraits, featuring languid young men and lovers, here he depicts a nightingale, a bird considered heavy with symbolism in many instances of Persian art, both before and after the Safavid period. Persian bird imagery had existed before such, but over time it had taken much inspiration from Chinese depictions. The same is true for flowers and stylised branches, all of which evolved over time to suit Persian compositions and conventions, such as being included in album margins and pen boxes. In addition, birds were often the size of floral elements they shared a canvas with, notable in Abbasi's study with the nightingale the size of a tree branch, embellishments considered a fascination among Safavid artists. With soft brush strokes and purposeful choice in colours, Abbasi demonstrates the delicate nature of Safavid paintings when given the opportunity to focus on a small, almost insignificant in religious or philosophical symbolism, model.

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