Folio from the Majma’ al-tawarikh (Compendium of history) by Hafiz Abru (d.1430); recto: The Birth of Muhammad; verso: text, Wet nurse Halima and her husband, Harith, taking care of infant Muhammad

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of Majma’ al-tawarikh (Compendium of history) by Hafiz Abru; text: Persian in black and red nasta’liq script; recto: text and illustration: The Birth of the prophet Muhammad, 18 lines; verso: text: 33 lines.
Border: The text and the painting are set in red and blue rulings on cream-colored paper.

Historical period(s)
Timurid period, 1426 (829 A.H.)
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 42 x 32.5 cm (16 9/16 x 12 13/16 in)
Geography
Historic Iran, present-day Afghanistan, Herat
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F2005.5
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Manuscript folio

Keywords
Afghanistan, birth, child, Iran, Islam, Muhammad, prophet, Timurid period (1378 - 1506), woman
Provenance

To 1969
Robert Lehman (1891-1969), to 1969 [1]

From 1969
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lehman Collection, New York City, bequeathed by Robert Lehman, from 1969 [2]

To 2005
Sam Fogg, Ltd., London, to 2005

From 2005
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Sam Fogg, Ltd. in 2005

Notes:

[1] According to the seller, March 8, 2005 (see Provenance Remark 1 in the object record).

[2] See note 1.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Robert Lehman 1891-1969
Sam Fogg, Ltd.

Description

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of Majma' al-tawarikh (Compendium of history) by Hafiz Abru; text: Persian in black and red nasta'liq script; recto: text and illustration: The Birth of the prophet Muhammad, 18 lines; verso: text: 33 lines.
Border: The text and the painting are set in red and blue rulings on cream-colored paper.

Published References
  • Christiane Gruber. The Praiseworthy One: The Prophet Muhammad in Islamic Texts and Images. Bloomington, Indiana. p. 95, fig. 2.5.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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