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Primary sourcePainting1663

The Shoemaker and the Unfaithful Wife, Walters Masnavi Illustration, 1663

Rumi · 1663

A 1663 Mughal-style miniature illustrating a Masnavi story by Rumi about a shoemaker and an unfaithful wife caught by her husband.

An illustrated moral tale from Rumi's own poem, chosen by later artists to depict a story of infidelity and discovery.

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Miniature painting in Mughal style: a man in a red and green robe and turban, with a pink-brown beard, sits on a gold-and-blue cushioned platform, sharing a cup with a woman in a yellow dress and tall red hat. A servant in white stands at a door in a pink brick wall, with trees and birds in the background.
Illustration of the shoemaker and the unfaithful wife, from a Masnavi manuscript, 1663. Walters Art Museum.

About this source

What it is

This painting illustrates a tale from Rumi's Masnavi, found in a manuscript completed in 1663 and now held by the Walters Art Museum. It shows a shoemaker and the unfaithful wife of a Sufi being surprised by her husband's unexpected return.

Why it matters

Rumi's stories often used everyday situations and human flaws to teach spiritual lessons. This illustration shows how later artists chose dramatic, morally complex moments from his poetry to bring the text to life for readers.

  • What clues in the painting show that someone is about to be caught in a difficult situation?
  • Why might this particular moment from the story have been chosen for illustration?
  • What does the setting (clothing, architecture, servant) tell you about where and when this manuscript was made?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Rumi (Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī) on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Open illuminated manuscript spread showing two pages with gold and blue decorative borders, floral illumination, and panels of gold-tinted Persian script in the center. Ornamental marginal dots and a faded title line appear at the top right.Book

Primary source

Masnavi

Rumi · c. 1258-1273

Illuminated manuscript page with Persian calligraphy at top and bottom and a painted scene of seated and standing men in a landscape with trees, flowers and a grassy slope. A bearded man in a black robe and white turban sits facing a young man in an orange robe and ornate hat, while a shirtless man sits nearby and attendants and onlookers stand or sit around them.Book

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Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi

Rumi · c. 1247 onward

Exterior view of the Mevlana Mausoleum in Konya: a stone building with a tall turquoise conical-roofed dome, a second grey dome, two slender minarets, and a stone wall with trees and flowering shrubs in front on a sunny day under blue sky.Artifact

Secondary source

Grave of Rumi

soon after 1273

Page of an Arabic-script manuscript with dense handwritten text in black ink, with several passages and marginal notes highlighted or underlined in red. The aged paper is cream-colored with a dark border, and some text runs along the margins.Book

Primary source

Fihi Ma Fihi

Rumi · c. 1260-1273

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Secondary source

Mevlâna Museum

Badr al-Din Tabrizi (architect) · built soon after 1273; museum since 1926

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