Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) by Amir Khusraw Dihlavi (d. 1325); The abduction by sea

Object Details

• Artist

  Attributed to Kamal al-Din Bihzad (ca. 1467-1535)

• Description

  Detached folio from a dispersed copy of a Khamsa (Quintet) by Amir Khusraw Dihlavi; The abduction by sea, verses in Persian black nasta'liq script.

  Border: The painting is set in blue and gold rulings on cream-colored paper.

• Label

  Lyrical poems were among the most popular illustrated texts at the court of Sultan Husayn Mirza Bayqara (reigned 1470-1506). This illustration belongs to a copy of Amir Khusraw Dihlavi's popular Khamsa (Quintet), a set of poems commissioned by Sultan Husayn Mirza's son, Sultan Muhammad Muhsin Bahadur Khan (died 1507). Its subtle coloring and fine drawing echo the romantic mood of the story, which describes the abduction of a king's favorite female attendant by her lover. A large expanse of water, originally painted silver and now tarnished to black, dominates the composition. The psychological interaction of the figures, shown in various poses, is characteristic of the style associated with Bihzad and his circle.

  One of the most celebrated painters at the court of Sultan Husayn Mirza Bayqara (reigned 1470-1506) was Kamal-uddin Bihzad (circa 1467-1535). Orphaned at a young age, Bihzad was reared and trained by Aqa Mirak, another renowned painter in Herat. Towards the end of his life, Bizhad, who became known as the "rarity of his time," moved to Tabriz in northwestern Iran, where he died in 1535. Bihzad and his contemporaries are largely accredited with introducing a new sense of naturalism into Timurid painting. In addition to refining the spatial clarity and ornamental elaboration of earlier fifteenth-century painting, Bihzad incorporated lively scenes from everyday life into his compositions. His carefully delineated figures show considerable psychological depth and seem to occupy real space. These new conventions, however, should not be confused with the interest in naturalism found in Western painting, for Bihzad and his fellow artists still worked within the strict conventions of traditional Persian painting.

• Provenance

  From at least 1929-no later than 1937

  Armenag Bey Sakisian (1875-1949), method of acquisition unknown [1]

  By 1937

  H. Kevorkian, New York, method of acquisition unknown [2]

  From 1937

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from H. Kevorkian, New York [3]

  Notes:

  [1] See Ernst Kühnel “History of Miniature Painting and Drawing” in “A Survey of Persian Art From Prehistoric Time to the Present”, ed. Arthur Upham Pope and Phyllis Ackerman [book] (London and New York: Oxford University Press, 1938), vol. III, p. 1864-1865; and (1939), vol. V, pl. 891a. See Laurence Binyon, J.V.S. Wilkinson and Basil Gray, “Persian Miniature Painting: Including a Critical Descriptive catalogue of the Miniatures Exhibited at Burlington House, January-March, 1931” [book] (London: Oxford University Press, 1933), p. 99, no. 85 [493], “Lent by Armenag Bey Sakisian, Paris”.

  See also Arménag Bey Sakisian, “La Miniature Persane du XIIe au XVIIe siècle: ouvrage accompagné de la reproduction de 193 miniatures dont deux en couleurs” [book] (Paris et Bruxelles: Les Editions G. Van Ouest, 1929), fig. 108 and p. 82-83. The text credits the miniature as part of the author’s collection. Arménag Bey Sakisian was a collector, art historian, and archaeologist who lived in Paris but worked extensively in Syria and the surrounding region.

  [2] Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962) was a dealer and collector of Islamic Art with eponymous galleries in New York and Paris. See note 3 for details regarding purchase invoice.

  [3] The Freer Gallery of Art paid H. Kevorkian in installments, the first on April 23, 1937, and the last on June 2, 1937, and approved on June 1, 1937. See object file for copies of invoices.

  Research updated December 13, 2022

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Engaging the Senses (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  In the Realm of Princes: The Arts of the Book in Fifteenth Century Iran and Central Asia (March 19 to August 7, 2005)

  Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016)

  From the Hand of Mani (January 18, 1985 to July 5, 1985)

  Art of the Near East (August 21, 1977 to December 14, 1979)

  Near Eastern Art (June 15, 1973 to May 7, 1975)

  2500 Years of Persian Art—Paintings, Pottery (February 10, 1972 to June 15, 1973)

  Near Eastern Art—Paintings, Pottery (August 18, 1967 to February 10, 1972)

  Near Eastern Art (June 5, 1964 to August 18, 1967)

  Persian Art (January 1, 1963 to September 3, 1963)

  Special Exhibition Afghanistan (September 3, 1963 to June 5, 1964)

  Special Exhibition (February 9, 1954 to April 20, 1954)

  Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Arts, 1947 (October 6, 1947 to February 25, 1956)

  Untitled Exhibition, Persian Paintings and Ceramics (May 5, 1933 to January 9, 1945)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Armenag Sakisian (1875-1949)

  Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962)

• Origin

  Herat, Afghanistan

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Manuscript

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1400s

• Name

  Sakisian, Armenag, Kevorkian, Hagop

• Place

  Afghanistan, Herat

• Topic

  Boats and boating, Art, Timurid period (1378 - 1506), Khamsa, Abduction, Arts of the Islamic World, Ocean, Khusraw

• Culture

  Muslims

• Object Type

  Manuscripts