Album leaf; recto: The Elephant Atash Khan; verso: calligraphic panel

Verso: a calligraphic panel along the right side contains a Persian inscription with the information “written in Farahabad, capital of the realm of the Sultan,” Farahabad was the summer residence of Shah Abbas of Iran. The panel along the left side reads “by the order of the descendant of the prophet Mirza Muhammad Shafi.” The six lines of calligraphy in the central panel contain Persian poetry, with additiional couplets spaced along the margins.

Maker(s)
Artist: Attributed to Farrukh Beg (active early 1580s–1619)
Historical period(s)
Adil Shahi dynasty, Reign of Ibrahim Adil Shah II, ca. 1600
Movement
Bijapur Court
School
Deccani school
Medium
Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 30.3 x 20.3 cm (11 15/16 x 8 in)
Geography
India, Deccan plateau, Karnataka state, Bijapur
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1997.16
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Album, Drawing
Type

Album leaf with painting

Keywords
Adil Shahi dynasty (1489 - 1686), elephant, India, poems
Provenance

Michel Onou (died 1901), Istanbul and Athens [1]

To 1997
Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd., New York City, to 1997

From 1997
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd. in 1997

Notes:

[1] According to Curatorial Note 3, Vidya Dehejia, July 1997, in the object record.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd.
Michel Onou

Description

Verso: a calligraphic panel along the right side contains a Persian inscription with the information "written in Farahabad, capital of the realm of the Sultan," Farahabad was the summer residence of Shah Abbas of Iran. The panel along the left side reads "by the order of the descendant of the prophet Mirza Muhammad Shafi." The six lines of calligraphy in the central panel contain Persian poetry, with additiional couplets spaced along the margins.

Inscription(s)

1. (Info. obtained from seller's invoice) Verso signed by Riza 'Ali and written in Farrukhabad, "capital of the realm of the sultan."

2. (Vidya Dehejia, 25 November 1997) The translation of the word Farrukhabad in the above comment is incorrect, the correct reading (obtained from Massumeh Farhad) is Farahabad.

Published References
  • Milo Cleveland Beach. The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court., 2nd ed. Washington and Ahmedabad, India, 2012. cat. 50, pp. 178-179.
  • Thomas Lawton, Thomas W. Lentz. Beyond the Legacy: Anniversary Acquisitions for the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. vol. 1 Washington, 1998. pp. 182-183.
Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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