The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 24, 2024

Court Lady Pouring Wine (recto)

Court Lady Pouring Wine (recto)

c. 1760

attributed to Muhammad Rizavi Hindi

(Indian, active mid-1700s)
Mughal India, probably Lucknow
Gum tempera and gold on paper
Painting: 20.6 x 14.6 cm (8 1/8 x 5 3/4 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 2013.348.a
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The bird-headed decanter evokes blood rites of kingship in pre-Islamic Iran.

Description

The artist has depicted a glass or crystal duck-headed decanter adorned with a gilded grapevine motif, signaling the contents. The red wine flows from the duck’s mouth into a tiny cup. Such bird-shaped wine vessels are vestiges of the blood sacrifices once part of ancient Persian court rituals. On the verso, floral sprigs illuminate the central calligraphic work, and paired verses have been written in smaller script all around the border. On this page, all the verses are about the beauty of—and longing for—the beloved.
  • ?-1849
    Sir Charles Forbes, 7th Baronet (1773-1849), Bengal, London, and Scotland, by descent to his great-grandson, Colonel Sir John Forbes
    ?-1962
    Colonel Sir John Stewart Forbes [1901-1984], Baronet, DSO, DL, Allargue House, Strathdon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK, consigned to Sotheby's London for sale
    December 10, 1962
    (Sotheby's, London, Western and Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures, lot 21)
    1962-2001
    Ralph Benkaim [1914-2001], Beverly Hills, CA, by descent to his wife Catherine Benkaim
    2001-2013
    (Catherine Glynn Benkaim [b. 1946], Beverly Hills, CA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    2013-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Sotheby's, London. Western and Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures. December 10, 1962. Mentioned: Lot 21
    Krishnan, Gauri Parimoo. Beauty in Asia: 200 BCE to Today. Singapore: Asian Civilisations Museum, 2007. Reproduced: no. 31a
    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 Reproduced: cat. 85, p. 258
  • Art and Stories from Mughal India. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 31-October 23, 2016).
    Beauty in Asia. Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore (May 3-September 23, 2007).
  • {{cite web|title=Court Lady Pouring Wine (recto)|url=false|author=Muhammad Rizavi Hindi|year=c. 1760|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2013.348.a