Manuscripts16th century

Text folio with a heading in gold (text with gold recto, text verso of folio 34) from a manuscript of Subhat al-abrar by Jami

c. 1530-70

Classification

Manuscripts

Medium

Ink, colors, and gold on paper

Period

Safavid period

Century

16th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Islamic & Later Indian Art

Provenance

Ezzat-Malek Soudavar, Geneva, Switzerland (by 2014), by descent; to her son Abolala Soudavar, Houston, Texas (2014), loan; to Harvard Art Museums, 2015. Note: Ezzat-Malek Soudavar (1913-2014) formed this collection over a period of sixty years. She purchased the works of art on the international art market.

Related Artworks

Manuscripts

Bab al-Awwal (verso), folio 48 from a Manuscript of Dala’il al-Khayrat by Jazuli

Jazuli, 16th century

Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

16th centuryNorth African

Manuscripts

Zulaykha Looks at Yusuf’s Prison with A Sorrowful Heart (painting recto; text verso of folio 100); illustrated folio from a manuscript of Yusuf and Zulaykha by Nizami

Unknown Artist, 16th century

Ink, colors, and gold on paper

16th centuryPersian

Manuscripts

Illuminated title page: opening verses of the Shahnama, folio from a manuscript of the Shanama by Firdawsi

Unknown Artist, 1562

Ink and gold on paper

16th centuryPersian

Manuscripts

Text folio (text recto; text verso of folio 3) from a manuscript of Yusuf and Zulaykha by Nizami

Unknown Artist, 16th century

Ink, colors, and gold on paper

16th centuryPersian

Manuscripts

Backing paper from the "Tale of Genji" Album (Genji monogatari gajō): Chapter 29, The Imperial Progress (Miyuki)

Unknown Artist, Muromachi period, dated 1516

The twenty-ninth of a series of 54 backing sheets mounted in an album; ink and color on paper

16th centuryJapanese

Manuscripts

Yusuf Entertained by Zulaykha's Maids, folio from a manuscript of Yusuf va Zulaykha by Jami

Unknown Artist, c. 1580

Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

16th centuryPersian

Manuscripts

Majnun and Layla Embracing Surrounded by Wild Animals (painting, verso), Text (recto), illustrated folio (70) from a Manuscript of the Khamsa by Amir Khusraw of Delhi (d. 1325)

Unknown Artist, 16th century

Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

16th centuryPersian

Manuscripts

Manuscript of Discourses on the Festivals of Saint Michael, with ninety-three paintings

Unknown Artist, 16th-17th century

Painting with text; ink and opaque watercolor on vellum

16th-17th centuryEthiopian

Manuscripts

The Prophet Muhammad and His Companions at a Feast (painting, recto; text, verso), illustrated folio from a manuscript of Siyar-i Nabi (The Life of the Prophet) by Mustafa Darir of Erzurum

Unknown Artist, 1594-1595

Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

16th centuryOttoman

Manuscripts

Mahiya frees Zambur, Beheads his sleeping guards, and suspends Gharrad in his stead (painting, verso); Nine Lines of Nasta‘liq Script (text, recto), illustrated folio from a manuscript of the Hamzanama

Mir Sayyid ‘Ali, c. 1570

Illustration: opaque watercolor and gold on cotton fabric. Text: ink and gold on paper. Both sides framed with a paper border with opaque watercolor ruling

16th centuryMughal

Manuscripts

Praise for Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna (text, recto and verso), folio from a manuscript of the Shahnama by Firdawsi

Unknown Artist, 1561-1562

Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

16th centuryPersian

Manuscripts

Thanks to God and the Prophet (verso), folio 148 from a Manuscript of Dala’il al-Khayrat by Jazuli

Jazuli, 16th century

Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

16th centuryNorth African