Scheherazade, oil, 1824, Musée Thomas-Henry, Cherbourg, France.
I’m guessing that it is Shahryar who is holding Shaharazad, with Dunyazad sitting on the couch. There is no peril present in this image. The couple looks too loving to my eyes. Shaharazad is gazing up at Shahryar with lots of affection, one hand modestly covering her breasts while the other caresses Shahryar’s leg. He holds her while admiring her décolletage. Dunyazad is forgotten and relegated to the background instead of being Sheherazade’s focus of attention. Its hardly a situation conducive to story telling. At least Shahryar is portrayed as a younger man. It’s not unusual in illustrations for Shahryar to be portrayed as a hoary man.
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