Left-hand half of a double-page calligraphy

Folio from double-page calligraphy; left-hand half of double page calligraphy, couplets of poem; facing folio (s1986.95.1); text: Persian in black nasta’liq script; signed by Imad; inscription on the top right corner; one of a group of 2 folios.
Border: Text is set in a blue inner frame with a gold floral scroll, a red gold leaf scroll, and a black outer frame with floral motifs.

Historical period(s)
Mughal dynasty, Possibly 17th century
Medium
Ink and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 26.6 x 39.2 cm (10 1/2 x 15 7/16 in)
Geography
India
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S1986.95.2
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Calligraphy
Type

Detached album folio

Keywords
Henri Vever collection, India, Mughal dynasty (1526 - 1858), nasta'liq script
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Folio from double-page calligraphy; left-hand half of double page calligraphy, couplets of poem; facing folio (s1986.95.1); text: Persian in black nasta'liq script; signed by Imad; inscription on the top right corner; one of a group of 2 folios.
Border: Text is set in a blue inner frame with a gold floral scroll, a red gold leaf scroll, and a black outer frame with floral motifs.

Inscription(s)

Top right corner: "He [God] is the all-effulgent." Text: "Felicitous and happy emperor,/ Shadow of God, sun of justice and religion,/ by the water of whose equity the face of the earth is a garden,/ When the fame of his fortune reaches its end/ he will have subdues the east and the west, Sahibqiran II Shahjahan." Last line unclear, only "Imâd" at end can be read. Left side: "If reason needs clear proof/ it is Dawlatabad and the conquest of Kandahar."

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. 455, p. 364.
Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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