Sample of Persian Calligraphy from a Mughal Album
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Object Label
Set against a gilded background, two couplets of romantic poetry appear in the elegant nastaʿlīq script. The face of the beloved, considered the reflection of divine love, is fittingly compared to a bright moon and admired for its beauty: “Your face is flushed [and] has become [like] a bright moon; you have exalted your stature [and] have become the envy of the [tall] cypress.” A signature identifying “the lowly scribe, ʿAli” may refer to the talented sixteenth-century calligrapher Mir ʿAli al-Husayni al-Katib al-Haravi, also known as Mir ʿAli. The calligraphy was mounted on a seventeenth-century Indian album page decorated with flora and fauna in a Europeanizing style typical of the Mughal artistic tradition. It is possible that the folio, like the page with a portrait of the Sufi Shaykh Chishti displayed nearby, once belonged to the Shah Jahan Album.
Caption
Ali Haravi. Sample of Persian Calligraphy from a Mughal Album, 16th century; margins 17th century. Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper, image: 7 13/16 x 3 14/16 in. (19.8 x 9.7 cm) sheet: 14 7/16 x 10 in. (36.7 x 25.4 cm) mat: 16 x 22 in. (40.6 x 55.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased with funds given by anonymous donors and Helen Babbott Sanders Fund, 1991.185. No known copyright restrictions (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1991.185_IMLS_SL2.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Calligrapher
Title
Sample of Persian Calligraphy from a Mughal Album
Date
16th century; margins 17th century
Dynasty
Mughal
Period
Mughal
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Classification
Dimensions
image: 7 13/16 x 3 14/16 in. (19.8 x 9.7 cm) sheet: 14 7/16 x 10 in. (36.7 x 25.4 cm) mat: 16 x 22 in. (40.6 x 55.9 cm)
Signatures
'Ali (possibly Mir 'Ali, d. 1544)
Inscriptions
In Persian, Your face is flushed [and] has become [like] a bright moon You have exalted your stature [and] have become the envy of the [tall] cypress; The beauty of your face increases day by day; Although you were beautiful yesterday, you are more beautiful today. Translated by Dr. Layla S. Diba and Dr. Ehsan Yarshater
Credit Line
Purchased with funds given by anonymous donors and Helen Babbott Sanders Fund
Accession Number
1991.185
Rights
No known copyright restrictions
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