Artwork Page for Persian calligraphy framed by an ornamental border of flowers, birds, and deer, from the Late Shah Jahan Album

Details / Information for Persian calligraphy framed by an ornamental border of flowers, birds, and deer, from the Late Shah Jahan Album

Persian calligraphy framed by an ornamental border of flowers, birds, and deer, from the Late Shah Jahan Album

calligraphy: c. 1500–1540; border: c. 1630–40
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Mir 'Ali Haravi

(Persian, active in Herat, Afghanistan, died c. 1550)
Culture
Mughal India, court of Shah Jahan (reigned 1628–58)
Medium
Gum tempera, gold, and ink on paper
Measurements
Overall: 36.8 x 25.2 cm (14 1/2 x 9 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert F. Leisy in memory of his wife, Helen Stamp Leisy 1977.207
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

On the right, two white-throated kingfishers, a species native to Asia, sit on thin vines.

Description

About 100 years after the calligraphy was completed by a Persian master and embellished with gold and floral arabesques, the small page was mounted into an album for the Mughal emperor of India. Mughal artists filled the outer border with floral vines, blooming and budding with many varieties. Pairs of birds perch throughout; male and female deer relax, listening to the birdsong. The Indian artists chose to emphasize nature’s abundance and life-giving forces, whereas the Persian artists sought to achieve exquisite, gemlike refinement.

The central poem, by Ibn-i Yamin (Persian, 1286–1368), encourages the reader not to worry about unexpected calamities.
A vertically oriented painting on tan paper features diagonal Persian calligraphy on a gold ground, nested within rectangular frames. A wide outer border depicts light brown deer—resting, leaping, and grazing—amidst colorful floral vines. Small birds perch on delicate stalks throughout the margins. The composition balances the central illuminated text with intricate naturalistic motifs, all rendered in gold and tempera.

Persian calligraphy framed by an ornamental border of flowers, birds, and deer, from the Late Shah Jahan Album

calligraphy: c. 1500–1540; border: c. 1630–40

Mir 'Ali Haravi

(Persian, active in Herat, Afghanistan, died c. 1550)
Mughal India, court of Shah Jahan (reigned 1628–58)

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