Album page: a group of dervishes

Historical period(s)
Safavid period, early 17th century
Medium
Ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H x W (drawing): 15.9 × 9.6 cm (6 1/4 × 3 3/4 in)
Geography
Iran, Isfahan
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1940.18
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Album, Drawing
Type

Album leaf with drawing

Keywords
drinking, Iran, Safavid period (1501 - 1722), WWII-era provenance
Provenance

To 1940
Heeramaneck Galleries, New York to 1940

From 1940
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Heeramaneck Galleries, New York in 1940 [1]

Notes:

[1] Undated folder sheet note. For additional information, see Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List file, Collections Management Office.

Previous Owner(s)

Heeramaneck Galleries

Label

This drawing represents a group of ten figures gathered around a large wine jar, over which one of them is leaning. The jar resembles Chinese Ming dynasty wares, which were in great demand during this period.

The motley assortment of dervishes and youths in the foreground of this image are engaged in the pleasurable pursuit of intoxication. Drinking figures, alone or in groups, are often portrayed in 17th-century Iranian paintings and form an important thematic group.

Published References
  • Barbara Schmitz. Miniature Painting in Harat, 1570-1640. 2 vols. Ann Arbor. pl. 270.
  • Dr. Esin Atil. The Brush of the Masters: Drawings from Iran and India. Exh. cat. Washington, 1978. cat. 17, pp. 50-51.
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Emperors, Peris, and Demons in Near Eastern Art. Washington, November 1978. p. 146.
  • A.M. Kevorkian. Les Jardins du Desir: Sept Siecles de Peinture Persane. Paris. pp. 236-237.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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