The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 26, 2023

Persian Couplets (recto), Calligraphy, Persian Verses; Single Page Manuscript

late 1500s–early 1600s

Part of a set. See all set records

Iran, Isfahan, Safavid period

(1501-1722)

Ink, gold, and opaque watercolor on paper

Overall: 31.6 x 20.4 cm (12 7/16 x 8 1/16 in.); Text area: 21 x 12.4 cm (8 1/4 x 4 7/8 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1944.494.a

Location

not on view

Description

Under Shah Abbas, the tradition in which painting was employed to illustrate a literary work was all but abandoned. In its place came a new concern with single-page illustrations, such as this one, which have no specific content or meaning. They often illustrate albums of collections of verses about love and beauty, in which these themes often appear to serve as allegories of things divine.

Inscriptions

Inscription

script: Nasta'liq

Citations
Islamic Art: Selected Examples from the Loan Exhibition of Islamic Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland]: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1944. Reproduced: p. [frontispiece] archive.org
The Arts of Persia and Mohammedan India: Ninth to the Nineteenth Century. Pasadena, CA: Pasadena Art Institute, 1949. no. 33
The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 730 archive.org
Milliken, William Mathewson. The Cleveland Museum of Art. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1958. p. 15
Ghirshman, Roman. Sept mille ans d'art en Iran: Petit Palais, Octobre 1961-Janvier 1962; [exposition]. [Paris]: [publisher not identified], 1962. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 197, no. 1104, pl. CXVII
7000 [i.e. Siebentausend] Jahre Kunst in Iran. [Ausstellung] 16. Februar bis 24. April 1962 in Villa Hügel, Essen. Essen: [publisher not identified], 1962. Mentioned and Reproduced: no. 592, p. 188
Gray, Basil. "An exhibition: Sept. mille ans d'art en Iran." Oriental Art VIII, no. 1, (Spring 1962), 42–44.
Spierdijk, Jan. Perzische kwatrijnen van Baba Tahir en Hafis. Amsterdam: Contact, 1964. Reproduced: cover
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 223 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 223 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 281 archive.org
Leach, Linda York. Indian Miniature Paintings and Drawings. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1986. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 53
Exhibition history

The Arts of Persia and Mohammedan India. Pasadena Art Institute, Pasadena, CA (September 28-November 21, 1949).

Exhibition of Persian Miniatures. The San Diego Museum, San Diego, CA (December 10, 1949-January 10, 1950).

Islamic and Indian Miniature Paintings and Manuscripts. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (December 15, 1955-February 19, 1956).

The Exhibition of Persian Art: 7000 Years of Art in Iran. Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France (organizer) (October 19, 1961-January 31, 1962); Villa Hügel, Essen, Germany (February 16-April 24, 1962); Kunsthaus Zürich, CH-8024 Zürich, Switzerland (May 17-July 22, 1962); Gemeentemuseum den Haag, The Hague, Netherlands (September 4-November 18, 1962); MAK, the Österreichisches Museum für angewandte Kunst/Gegenwartskunst, Vienna, Austria (January 16-March 31, 1963).

Islamic Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 3, 1944-February 2, 1945).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1944.494.a