Harvard Art Museums > 2002.50.139: Qajar Youth Seated against Cushions (pricked drawing) Albums Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Qajar Youth Seated against Cushions (pricked drawing) , 2002.50.139,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 18, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/146827. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2002.50.139 Title Qajar Youth Seated against Cushions (pricked drawing) Classification Albums Work Type album folio Date 19th century Places Creation Place: Middle East, Iran Period Qajar period Culture Persian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/146827 Physical Descriptions Medium Ink, black chalk and graphite on paper Dimensions 27.4 x 20.2 cm (10 13/16 x 7 15/16 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History [Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, Sale 3948, 1977, lot 123], sold; to Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood, Belmont, MA (1977-2002), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2002. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art Accession Year 2002 Object Number 2002.50.139 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description This drawing depicts a young man in Qajar attire leaning back against plump, tasseled cushions; a tray laden with bottles, decanters, and drinking cups is set at his feet. These forms are delineated in ink on the dark ivory paper, and additional definition is provided by traces of black chalk and by shading and line in graphite, probably added with a pencil. The principal contours of the design have been pricked with a pin. Given the absence of traces of pouncing chalk on the drawing itself, it is likely that a transparent sheet of paper was laid over it and that the pin was used to make holes in the upper sheet, along the design contours. The pricked sheet of transparent paper was then laid on another sheet of paper and a pounce bag full of powdered chalk or charcoal tapped over it. When the transparent sheet was removed, particles of chalk or charcoal remained on the paper beneath and served as a guide for drawing the lines in a permanent medium, thus accomplishing the transfer of the original design. After serving its preliminary purpose, this drawing was mounted on an album page assembled from strips of colored papers and fragments of Persian poetry. Published Catalogue Text: In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art , written 2013152 Youth Seated against Cushions Folio from an album Iran, Qajar period, 19th century Ink, black chalk, and graphite on paper Folio: 27.4 × 20.2 cm (10 13/16 × 7 15/16 in.) 2002.50.139 This drawing depicts a young man in Qaja attire leaning back against plump, tasseled cushions; a tray laden with bottles, decanters, and drinking cups is set at his feet. These forms are delineated in ink on the dark ivory paper, and additional definition is provided by traces of black chalk and by shading and line in graphite, probably added with a pencil. The principal contours of the design have been pricked with a pin. Given the absence of traces of pouncing chalk on the drawing itself, it is likely that a transparent sheet of paper was laid over it and that the pin was used to make holes in the upper sheet, along the design contours. The pricked sheet of transparent paper was then laid on another sheet of paper and a pounce bag full of powdered chalk or charcoal tapped over it. When the transparent sheet was removed, particles of chalk or charcoal remained on the paper beneath and served as a guide for drawing the lines in a permanent medium, thus accomplishing the transfer of the original design. After serving its preliminary purpose, this drawing was mounted on an album page assembled from strips of colored papers and fragments of Persian poetry. David J. Roxburgh [1] The various techniques of pouncing are discussed in Roxburgh 2002b, 61–62. Publication History Mary McWilliams, ed., In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, exh. cat., Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2013), p. 273, cat. 152, ill. Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
