The Mashhad pilgrim

Object Details

• Artist

  Riza Abbasi (ca. 1565-1635)

• Label

  The spontaneously drawn portrait presents a striking contrast to Riza's highly formal and idealized depiction of Lady with a Fan. A detailed inscription, a feature on many of the artist's single-page compositions, states that, "it [the drawing] was completed at the end of Friday, the 10th of Muharram 1007 [13 August 1598] at the dawlat-khana in the company of friends, especially, Mirza Khawjagi, may God keep him safe. Written by Riza."

  Muharram, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, was a popular time for pilgrimages, especially to Mashhad, the burial site of Imam Riza, the eighth Shi`ite imam (prophet). The figure, who has momentarily removed his turban to scratch his head, was probably one of the many pilgrims the artist met during his stay in Mashhad. Keenly observant, Riza Abbasi has masterfully captured his subject's weariness and discomfort, creating one of the most poignant portraits of sixteenth-century Iran.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Facing East: Portraits from Asia (July 1 to September 4, 2006)

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

  Riza-i Abbasi Album (May 10, 1985 to September 3, 1985)

  The Brush of the Masters: Drawings from Iran (October 14, 1978 to May 30, 1979)

  Collection of Friedrich and Maria Sarre (1932)

  International Exhibition of Persian Art (January 7 to March 7, 1931)

  Die Ausstellung Islamischer Buchkunst im Berliner "Art of the Islamic Book" (February to April, 1910)

  Ausstellung von Meisterwerken Mohammedanischer Kunst in München (May to October 1910)

• Origin

  Mashhad, Iran

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Drawing

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1500s, 1610s, 1600s, 1590s, 1540s, 1650s, 1530s, 1640s, 1520s, 1630s, 1510s, 1620s, 1580s, 1730s, 1690s, 1570s, 1680s, 1560s, 1670s, 1550s, 1660s

• Name

  Riza Abbasi

• Place

  Mashhad

• Topic

  S?afavid dynasty, 1501-1736, Art, Pilgrimage, Arts of the Islamic World, Portraits

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Object Type

  Drawings