Artwork Page for Calligraphy of Chaghatai Turkish Poems in Praise of Wine (verso)

Details / Information for Calligraphy of Chaghatai Turkish Poems in Praise of Wine (verso)

Calligraphy of Chaghatai Turkish Poems in Praise of Wine (verso)

c. 1500–1520
calligraphy by

Mirza Muhammad

(probably Persian, active c. 1520s)
calligraphy by

and Sultan Muhammad Nur

(Persian, c. 1472–1536)
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Culture
Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)
Medium
Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Measurements
Page: 36.2 x 24.3 cm (14 1/4 x 9 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection 2013.292.b
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Description

This page of delicately illuminated calligraphy from the pre-Mughal period was mounted into a Mughal album. The poems are written in the native language of the Mughals, a form of Turkish called Chaghatai, using a flowing form of Arabic script called nasta‘liq. The Mughals self-consciously adopted Persian as their official court language, so few Chaghatai books or works of calligraphy were made for them.

The quatrain in the center reads: The wine has made an attempt on my life, Since it is the wine that can wear down the pain of separation. O Sufi! Let the mosque be for you, and the tavern for me, Since you need to arrive at the Spring of Kowsar, while I am in need of wine! The Spring of Kowsar is where the righteous quench their thirst in the afterlife.
A vertical tempera and ink painting features a wide teal border with golden vines. Within, a floral frame encloses a sage-green rectangle. Black script is arranged diagonally in four lobed shapes, separated by triangular blue and gold panels with colorful blossoms. Horizontal bands at the top and bottom contain additional text (see "Inscriptions"). The composition balances intricate geometric and organic forms to frame the central calligraphic script.

Calligraphy of Chaghatai Turkish Poems in Praise of Wine (verso)

c. 1500–1520

Mirza Muhammad, Sultan Muhammad Nur

(probably Persian, active c. 1520s), (Persian, c. 1472–1536)
Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)

See Also

  • Collection
    Indian
  • Department
    Indian and Southeast Asian Art
  • Type of artwork
    Painting
  • Medium
    Tempera
  • Credit line
    Gift In Honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by Exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection

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