# Youth Seated by a Willow; Single Page Illustration

- By: Muhammad Yusuf (Iranian)
- Date: c. 1600–1650
- Medium: ink, gold, and colors on paper
- Classification: Manuscript
- Dimensions: Sheet: 33.5 x 21.9 cm (13 3/16 x 8 5/8 in.); Image: 15 x 9.6 cm (5 7/8 x 3 3/4 in.)
- Culture: Iran, Isfahan, Safavid period (1501-1722)
- Credit line: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
- Museum: [Cleveland Museum of Art](https://clevelandart.org/art/1947.499)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1947.499/1947.499_web.jpg
- Who can see it: Little Ones profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

A new aesthetic developed under the socially and economically conscious Shah ’Abbas I (reigned 1587–1629). Single polychrome paintings of elegantly clad youth were produced in considerable number during the 1600s, primarily for people with means who collected them and had them mounted in albums. Instead of functioning as portraits, the images of these courtly figures express ideals of youth and beauty. This young man’s lavish sash and turban enriched with costly gold thread proclaim his high status.