Saki (Kneeling Servant)
Title: Saki (Kneeling Servant)
Artist: Āqā Riżā Kāshānī (Reza Abbasi)
Date: 1629 AD
Material: Mixed media on paper
Location: Golestan Palace Library
Saki is a miniature folio painted by Reza Abbasi, who was at the forefront of Safavid art during his lifetime. The page depicts a young boy serving coffee, likely in a coffeehouse environment. The young men and boys who served coffee in the coffeehouses could be admired by the older male patrons of the coffeehouses. It is possible that this miniature (as well as other works of Reza's) are depictions of real people, commissioned by wealthy elites or chosen as inspiration by Reza himself. The piece prompts the viewer to consider the social hierarchy of Safavid coffeehouse culture -- young coffee servers and wealthy elites existed in the same physical spaces, but occupied very different roles within the community.