Folio from a Divan (collected poems) by Hafiz (d. 1390); recto: wine shop; verso: text

Object Details

• Calligrapher

  Sultan Muhammad Nur

• Artist

  Shaykhzada

• Description

  Detached folio from a copy of the Divan (collected poems) by Hafiz (F1932.45) with selections from the work of Ibn Yamin, Omar Khayyam, and Nizami in the margins; text: Persian in black nasta'liq script; recto: illustration: Wine shop; verso: text: two columns, 12 lines; one of a group of 9 detached folios (F1932.46-54) from the bound manuscript (F1932.45); accessioned separately.

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

• Inscriptions

  On the spandrel: "Oh opener of the doors."

• Label

  A common symbol for the Sufi search for divine knowledge was wine, which with its properties of loosening one's hold on reality, helped the mystic to achieve a state bordering on spiritial ecstasy. Since the orthodox tenets of Islam forbade wine-drinking, it often occurred in remote wineshops, run by certain non-Muslims generally known as Magians.

  Here the wineshop is represented as an elegant place, with women and children peering down from the upper windows and balconies. On the outdoor terrace edged with flowering trees, an old man or pir, who is both the tavern-keeper and a regligious elder, greets the guests. One young man already seems overcome by the wine, whose real and symbolic effects are aptly described in the white inscription over the portal: "O Opener of Doors!"

• Provenance

  To 1931

  Claude Anet (1868-1931), Paris to 1931 [1]

  1932

  Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962), acquired in Paris, March 21, 1932 [2]

  From 1932

  Freer Gallery of Art, puchased from Hagop Kevorkian in 1932 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] Object file, folder sheet note.

  [2] See Hagop Kevorkian's letter to Mr. Lodge, dated March 25, 1932 Paris, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [3] Object file, undated folder sheet note. See also Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List file, Collections Management Office.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Art of the Court of Shah Tahmasp (December 16, 1979 to August 14, 1980)

  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)

  Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 6 and 7 (February 25, 1956 to April 10, 1962)

  Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Manuscripts, Pottery, Metalwork, and Glass (April 12, 1955 to November 21, 1955)

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

  Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Paintings (May 1, 1945 to September 25, 1947)

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

• Previous custodian or owner

  Claude Anet (1868-1931)

  Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962)

• Origin

  Herat, Afghanistan

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Manuscript

• 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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  collections.si.edu

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• Name

  Anet, Claude, Kevorkian, Hagop

• Place

  Afghanistan, Herat

• Topic

  S?afavid dynasty, 1501-1736, Wine and wine making, Art, Food habits, Arts of the Islamic World, Tambourine, Business

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Object Type

  Manuscripts