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Seated Dervish

Reza 'Abbasi Iranian, ca. 1565 - 1635
Not On View
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About the Artwork

Seated Dervish

ca. 1650

Reza 'Abbasi

ca. 1565 - 1635

Iranian

Unknown

Drawing: ink on paper margins: ink, colors, and gold on paper

Overall: 9 1/8 × 6 1/4 inches (23.2 × 15.9 cm)

Manuscripts

Islamic Art

Founders Society Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Buhl Ford II Fund

1994.91

Public Domain

Markings

Inscribed, on top and bottom, manaqib (laudatory verses) in praise of Imam Ali: [translated by Shadi Shafiei: O the observant one, and a confidant of the prophet of Allah [Mohammad] / A companion of the king of all messengers [Muhammad] when he reached to the closest stage to Allah. / We cannot begin to speak without praising Ali / Ahli, in the path to seeking Moulâ [Ali], you yourself became dutiful. God be with you! O God, for the sake of his excellence that is reflected on all beings, / Forgive my sins, once these verses are completed.] [transliterated: Ey az hameh hâl âgah hamrâz-i nabi allâh / Ba shâh-e rusul hamarah dar manzel-i u adnâ / Bi madh-i Ali aslan nagreft sukhan bâlâ / Ahli to pe-yi moulâ, ahlaneh shodi ahlâ / Ya rab bi kamâl-i vay kafroukht az u har shey‘ / Kin nâmeh cho gardad tey jurmam bi karam bakhshâ] Inscribed, in cartouches framing the central drawing, verses from Guy o Chowgan (Ball and Polo Stick) or Halnama (Book of Ecstasy) composed in (1438/39 AD) by Arifi Heravi (d. 1449): [translated by Wheeler M. Thackston and Hossein Ziai in "The Ball and Polo Stick: The Book of Ecstasy" (Mazda, 1999): Inasmuch as you can [hit] me on the head at will, / You Possess this rank through the king’s hand. / When the mallet heard this from the ball, / It immediately began to speak [saying,] / “O you who are afflicted by fate as I, / a thousand like me [revolve] around your head. / Because of you my head is raised to the sky / [and] because of you my feet do not touch the ground.” / At the apogee of this new moon / Which received rays from the orient of the soul / I made it worthy of its name in two weeks / As complete as the full moon.] [transliterated: Bar fargh-i saram ki rah dari / In payeh zi dast-i shah dari / Az guy cho in shenid chowgan / Dar hal zaban keshid chowgan / Kay khasteh-yi rouzgar chon man / Gard-i sar-i tu hizar chon man / Az tu sar-i man be charkh sayad / Payam zi to bar zamin nayad / Dar owj-i bulandi in mah-i no / Kaz mashriq-i jan gereft parto / Kardam bi du hafteh bahr-i namash / Hamchoun mah-i chardah tamamash.]

Provenance

(Said Motamed, Frankfurt, Germany);
1994-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

Please note: This section is empty

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.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

Suggest Feedback

Published References

Please note: This section is empty

We regularly update our object record as new research and findings emerge, and we welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

Suggest Feedback

Catalogue Raisoneé

Please note: This section is empty

Credit Line for Reproduction

school of Reza 'Abbasi, Seated Dervish, ca. 1650, Drawing: ink on paper Margins: ink, colors, and gold on paper. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Buhl Ford II Fund, 1994.91.

Seated Dervish
Seated Dervish