The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 21, 2025

Calligraphy (verso)

c. 1640–60

India, Deccan, 17th century

Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Page: 40.5 x 28.9 cm (15 15/16 x 11 3/8 in.)
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 2013.289.b
Location: Not on view

Description

The text of the poem praises the season of spring, with mystical undertones. The Persian verses are written from right to left in the cursive form of Arabic script known as nasta‘liq. "It is springtime friends! Time to nurse the carnal wants: Wine, a minstrel, a pretty face, a secluded corner in a garden. What would I have done given my lack of means, If my heart did not have a cure for searing longings? My heart derives from the bounteous Sea of Compassion Its self-abnegating otherworldliness, an ever-radiant night glowing gem." The poem may be related to the painting of the African musician on the other side, subtly perpetuating the stereotypical association of African men with lustful desires, music, and dance.
  • early 20th century - Collection of Jacob Goldschmidt (1882-1955), Berlin and New York
    September, 1966 - Olsen Foundation, Bridgeport, Conn.; Acquired from teh Olsen Foundation
  • Indian Gallery 242b Rotation – November 2016. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (November 7, 2016-April 10, 2017).
  • {{cite web|title=Calligraphy (verso)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1640–60|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2013.289.b