Composite page of calligraphy

Detached album folio; composite page of calligraphy; text: Persian in black nasta’liq script; four calligraphic panel with poetry, one panel contains a quatrain from the Divan of Hafiz; corners embellished with triangular illuminated panels; panels are signed by Abdul-Khaliq, Muhammad Qasim al-Husayni, and Mir Husayn al-Husayni.
Border: The text panels are set in gold, red and blue rulings mounted on marbled, gold-sprinkled paperboard.

Maker(s)
Calligrapher: 'Amid al-Mulk al-Husayni (Islamic) Mir Husayn al-Husayni Abdul-Khaliq
Historical period(s)
Safavid period, 16th century
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (image): 34.2 x 17.6 cm (13 7/16 x 6 15/16 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1986.347
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Album, Calligraphy
Type

Detached album folio

Keywords
Henri Vever collection, Iran, marbling, nasta'liq script, Safavid period (1501 - 1722), WWII-era provenance
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Detached album folio; composite page of calligraphy; text: Persian in black nasta'liq script; four calligraphic panel with poetry, one panel contains a quatrain from the Divan of Hafiz; corners embellished with triangular illuminated panels; panels are signed by Abdul-Khaliq, Muhammad Qasim al-Husayni, and Mir Husayn al-Husayni.
Border: The text panels are set in gold, red and blue rulings mounted on marbled, gold-sprinkled paperboard.

Inscription(s)

Bottom right, triangular illuminated panel: "written by the sinful slave Abdul-Khaliq, God forgive his sins [A.H.] 964, [A.D. 1557]."
Bottom page: "poor Muhammad Qasim al-Husayni."
Center left panel: “Mir Husayn al-Husayni; May [God] forgive him."

Label

Album pages often comprised an assemblage of verses copied by different calligraphers. The couplets in the upper right are by Hafiz (died 1390), one of the most renowned Persian mystical poets, whose work was often included in albums. Signed and dated by Abdul-Khaliq in 1585-86, the poem is copied in nasta'liq, the preferred script for lyrical poetry after the late fifteenth century. The script is notable for its crisp lines and perfectly rounded forms that can vary in size as is evident from the different calligraphic panels arranged on this sheet. Hafiz's couplets read as follows:

At dawn, the well-wishing crier of the tavern 
Called, come back, you are an old customer of this place; 
O traveler of the road, to the impoverished ones at 
the tavern
Show kindness, if you know the secret of God.

The other anonymous verses are signed by Muhammad Qasim al-Husayni and Mir Husayn al-Husayni.

Published References
  • Glenn D. Lowry, Milo Cleveland Beach, Elisabeth West FitzHugh, Susan Nemanzee, Janet Snyder. An Annotated and Illustrated Checklist of the Vever Collection. Washington and Seattle. cat. 436, pp. 354-355.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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