id:			153627
accession number:	1987.153.b
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1987.153.b
updated:		2022-09-10 11:01:21.824000

Page from the Late Shah Jahan Album: Calligraphy Framed by an Ornamental Border with Poppies and Pairs of Birds (verso), c. 1653. India, Mughal court, reign of Shah Jahan (1628-1658), Mughal Dynasty (1526-1756), 17th Century. Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper; overall: 37.8 x 27.3 cm (14 7/8 x 10 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alton W. Whitehouse 1987.153.b

title:				Page from the Late Shah Jahan Album: Calligraphy Framed by an Ornamental Border with Poppies and Pairs of Birds (verso)
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			c. 1653
creation date earliest:		1648
creation date latest:		1658
current location:		
creditline:			Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alton W. Whitehouse
copyright:			

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culture:	India, Mughal court, reign of Shah Jahan (1628-1658), Mughal Dynasty (1526-1756), 17th Century
technique:	opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper
department:	Indian and Southeast Asian Art
collection:	Indian Art
type:		Painting
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 37.8 x 27.3 cm (14 7/8 x 10 3/4 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

* Main Gallery Rotation (gallery 245): April 28, 2015 - November 2, 2015.

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PROVENANCE

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fun fact: 


digital description: 


wall description: 
Treated as a jewel set in gold and floral arabesques, this work is an example of how Mughal patrons held the art of calligraphy in higher esteem than figural painting. This work is unsigned, so the calligrapher remains unknown, but the lines are excerpts from a didactic ode composed by Amir Khusrau (1253-1325) of Delhi, known as the "Parrot of India," one of the most accomplished authors of the Persian language in India. The text itself reads: "Anyone, whether noble or ignoble, who covets wealth, is destined for hell. Aloe-wood and dung, once thrown in the fire, turn to ash. It is hard for an unrefined mind to master sophisticated thought. For the wind to lift up the feet of a mountain is impossible. See to your tasks here and now, for there is mayhem on the Day of Judgment. Draw your water from here, for there is much tumult and mischief out in the sea."
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1987.153.b/1987.153.b_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1987.153.b/1987.153.b_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1987.153.b/1987.153.b_full.tif