The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 18, 2026

A vertical page features a central panel filled with rows of black and red script. An ornate blue border containing winding gold floral vines frames the text, followed by an expansive cream margin with larger gold blossoms. Multiple delicate gold and blue lines separate these nested rectangular borders. Faint calligraphy appears vertically in the left margin. The layout is highly symmetrical, balancing intricate rows of text with dense botanical ornamentation.

An Illuminated Folio from the Royal Manuscript of the Farhang-i Jahangiri (recto)

1607–8

Mughal India, court of Jahangir

(1605–1627)
Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Page: 33.7 x 21.9 cm (13 1/4 x 8 5/8 in.); Text field: 21.2 x 11 cm (8 3/8 x 4 5/16 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 2013.318.a
Location: Not on view

Description

Farhang-E Jahāngīrī, one of the most complete and authoritative dictionaries of the Persian language, was compiled by Mir Jamal al-Din Husayn Inju. It took him twelve years to compile over 9,000 words with definitions and examples from verses by Persian poets. He was born in Shiraz, Iran, but lived most of his life in Agra, India, so the dictionary was named honor of the Mughal emperor Jahangir, who reigned from 1605 to 1627.
  • c. 1950-July 1968
    (Charles Dikran Kelekian [1910–1992], New York, NY, sold to Ralph Benkaim)
    July 1968-2013
    Ralph Benkaim [1914-2001] and Catherine Glynn Benkaim [b. 1946], Beverly Hills, CA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2013-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • 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. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 43, p. 219
  • {{cite web|title=An Illuminated Folio from the Royal Manuscript of the Farhang-i Jahangiri (recto)|url=false|author=|year=1607–8|access-date=18 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2013.318.a