The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 16, 2026

A vertical page features several lines of black Arabic calligraphic script over a central tan rectangle densely patterned with gold floral designs. Two decorative borders frame the composition: an inner tan border with gold scrollwork and a wider, darker brown outer border with similar gold patterns. The antique paper shows aging and wear throughout, surrounding the elegant calligraphy and intricate gold-painted ornamentation with a weathered, tan margin.

Calligraphy of a Pious Invocation in Rhyme (verso)

1500s or 1600s

India, Mughal, 16th century

Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Page: 34 x 20.7 cm (13 3/8 x 8 1/8 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 2013.302.b
Location: Not on view
  • (Heeramaneck Collection, New York, NY)
    The Pan-Asian Collection, New York, NY
    Robert Ellsworth [1929–2014], New York, NY
    June 20, 1983
    (Sotheby’s, London, Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures, 20 June 1983, lot 65, sold to Ralph and Catherine Benkaim)
    1983–2001
    Ralph [1914–2001] and Catherine Glynn Benkaim [b. 1946], Beverly Hills, CA, by descent to his wife, Catherine Benkaim
    2001–2013
    Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, CA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2013–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Sotheby's London. Fine Oriental Miniatures and Manuscripts. 20 June 1983.
    Heeramaneck, Alice N. Masterpieces of Indian Painting: From the Former Collections of Nasli M. Heeramaneck. [Place of publication not identified]: A.N. Heeramaneck, 1984. cat. no. 168
    Mace, Sonya Rhie, Mohsen Ashtiany, Catherine Glynn, Pedro Moura Carvalho, Marcus Fraser, and Ruby Lal. Mughal Paintings: Art and Stories: the Cleveland Museum of Art. London: D Giles Limited, 2016. cat. 27, p. 195
  • {{cite web|title=Calligraphy of a Pious Invocation in Rhyme (verso)|url=false|author=|year=1500s or 1600s|access-date=16 April 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2013.302.b