Folio from a Divan (collected poems) by Hafiz (d. 1390); recto: text, Poem of wisdom of love, beauty, and celebration of time; verso: illustration and text, Feast of ‘id

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; headings in white; recto: text: two columns, 12 lines and marginal verses; verso: illustration and text: Feast of ‘id; one of a group of 9 detached folios (F 1932.46-54) from the bound manuscript (F1932.45); accessioned separately.
Border: The text and the painting are set in gold, black, 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 18.9 cm (11 13/16 x 7 7/16 in)
Geography
Afghanistan, Herat
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1932.51
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Manuscript folio

Keywords
Afghanistan, celebration, courtier, eating, garden, music, prince, Safavid period (1501 - 1722)
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 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; headings in white; recto: text: two columns, 12 lines and marginal verses; verso: illustration and text: Feast of 'id; one of a group of 9 detached folios (F 1932.46-54) from the bound manuscript (F1932.45); accessioned separately.
Border: The text and the painting are set in gold, black, and blue rulings on cream-colored paper.

Label

This illustration belongs to an early-sixteenth-century copy of the Divan of the great Persian poet Hafiz.  Known for his ghazals (lyrical odes), Hafiz's verses elaborate on certain abstract themes, such as youth, beauty, love, and wine, that are common to much of classical Persian poetry. His work is also infused with a distinct mystical content, associated with the Sufi sect of Islam. 

The Feast of Id is inscribed with the following verses:

It is time to celebrate, the end [of the season] and
      friends are waiting,
Saqi (wine bearer), behold the moon in the king's
      face and bring wine.

The celebration marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, which begins and ends with the moon's sighting. Here, the crescent is visible in the upper right corner. To translate the lyrical mood of Hafiz's poem into visual form, the artist has created a lush garden setting, where elegantly dressed men are conversing, reading, listening to music, and drinking wine.

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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