Folio from a Divan (collected poems) by Hafiz (d. 1390); recto: text: Poem of the contentment of heart and soul; verso: illustration and text, Prince entertained on a terrace

Detached folio from a bound copy of 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: text: two columns, 9 lines, and marginal verses; verso: illustration and text, Prince entertained on a terrace; one of a group of 9 detached folios (F 1932.46-54) from the bound manuscript (F 1932.45); accessioned separately.
Border: The text and the painting are set in gold and blue rulings on cream-colored paper.

Maker(s)
Artist: Shaykhzade
Calligrapher: Sultan Muhammad Nur
Historical period(s)
Safavid period, 1523-24 (930 A.H.)
Medium
Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 30 x 18.8 cm (11 13/16 x 7 3/8 in)
Geography
Afghanistan, Herat
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1932.48
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Manuscript folio

Keywords
Afghanistan, celebration, divan, eating, garden, illumination, prince, Safavid period (1501 - 1722), spring
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.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Claude Anet 1868-1931
Hagop Kevorkian 1872-1962

Description

Detached folio from a bound copy of 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: text: two columns, 9 lines, and marginal verses; verso: illustration and text, Prince entertained on a terrace; one of a group of 9 detached folios (F 1932.46-54) from the bound manuscript (F 1932.45); accessioned separately.
Border: The text and the painting are set in gold and blue rulings on cream-colored paper.

Label

Among the most popular compositions in Persian manuscripts are those of elegantly dressed figures feasting in outdoor settings.  Inspired by the ancient Persian ritual of bazm--a form of celebration with wine and music--these paintings and drawings are used to illustrate a number of different literary concepts and ideas.

"Prince Entertained in a Garden," one of four illustrations of a Divan of Hafiz (died 1209), recalls a bazm ceremony.  Seated in front of an elaborate tent, an elegant figure and his companions are conversing, drinking, and listening to music.  Unlike the previous painting, the image of this princely gathering is a free interpretation of Hafiz's couplet, which reads:

 The rose without the beloved's cheek is not pleasant,
 Without wine, spring is not pleasant.

Hafiz makes no specific mention of a festive gathering, musicians, or a tent, but the artist has used the concept of bazm to evoke pictorially some of the poem's abstract concepts and literary ideas.

Published References
  • Freer Gallery of Art. Gallery Book III: Exhibition of September 5, 1933. Washington, September 5, 1933. .
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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