About the Artwork
Renowned calligrapher Mir ‘Ali Haravi penned the Persian script at the center of this work around the early 1500s. More than one hundred years later, artists in Mughal India attached the calligraphy to a larger page, framing it with meandering grapevines inhabited by pairs of birds. Mughal artists also carefully outlined each calligraphic line, then filled the surrounding space with gold and intricately painted flower designs.
The page, with imagery on both sides, was bound into an album of calligraphy and paintings created for the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (reigned 1628 – 58) toward the end of his rule. Known as the Late Shah Jahan Album, this collection of artworks is now dispersed.
In the Mughal empire (1526 – 1858), members of the elite avidly collected the work of Mir ‘Ali Haravi and other calligraphers. Viewers appreciated the text for both its visual and poetic beauty.
Calligraphy from the Late Shah Jahan Album (recto)
calligraphy between 1505 and 1545, borders between 1650 and 1658
(Artist) Mughal, Indian Mir 'Ali Haravi (Calligrapher) Persian, active ca. 1505 - 1545
Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
Overall: 15 3/16 × 9 7/8 inches (38.6 × 25.1 cm) Image: 7 1/4 × 3 3/4 inches (18.4 × 9.5 cm)
Paintings
Islamic Art
Museum Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund
2019.98.A
Public Domain
Markings
Inscribed, in Nasta'liq, Text from the Orchard (Bustan) of Sa‘di (d. 1291), chapter IX; Concerning Repentance, followed by calligrapher signature: [translated by Shadi Shafiei: One day a singer filled my heart with angst / While playing their lute s/he sang these lines: / For years and years springtime will shine, / And roses will blossom-alas-without us. / Many summers, winters, and springs will pass, / While all we will be is just a fistful of dust. / Written by the sinful ‘Ali the scribe] [transliterated: Du baitam jigar kard rouzi kabâb / Ki miguft gouyandeh-i ba rubâb / Darighâ ki bi ma basi rouzegâr / Berouyad gul o beshkofad nobahâr. / Basi Tir o Day-mâh o Ordibehesht / Biyâyad ki mâ khâk bashim o khesht. / Katabahou al-muzannib ‘Ali al-Katib]
Provenance
between 1650-58, commissioned by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan;1739, assumed to be looted by Afsharid ruler Nadir Shah and taken to Iran.
late 19th century, taken to Russia by brother of Qajar ruler Nasir al-Din Shah;
late 19th century, sold to Armenian dealer (Russia).
1909, purchased by (Georges Demotte [1877-1923], Paris, France).
Leila Diba Collection (New York, New York, USA).
Sarikhani Collection (London, England).
Al Thani Collection (London, England and Paris, France);
consigned to (Christie's, New York, New York, USA);
2019-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
For more information on provenance, please visit:
Provenance pageExhibition History
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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.
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Suggest FeedbackPublished References
Hillenbrand, Robert, et. al. The Sarikhani Collection: An Introduction. London, 2011, p. 17 [portrait only].
Treasures from the Al Thani Collection: The Palace Museum and the Al Thani Collection. Beijing, 2018, cat. no. 177, pp. 462-465.
Maharajas & Mughal Magnificence. Sales cat., Christie's. New York, 2019, lot no. 76, pp. 106–107.
"Detroit Institute of Arts adds works to Native American collection, new works by women artists," Artdaily. https://artdaily.cc/news/131545/Detroit-Institute-of-Arts-adds-works-to-Native-American-collection--new-works-by-women-artists#.YYQ0NWDMKUm. (Accessed on November 4, 2021).
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Credit Line for Reproduction
Mir 'Ali Haravi; Mughal, Indian, Calligraphy from the Late Shah Jahan Album (recto), calligraphy between 1505 and 1545, borders between 1650 and 1658, opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper. Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund, 2019.98.A.
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