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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1960.117.54
People
Ascribed to Shiva Das, Indian
Title
The Beloved Arrives at Midnight (painting, recto; text, verso), folio 54 from a manuscript of the Divan (Collection of Works) of Anvari
Classification
Manuscripts
Work Type
manuscript folio
Date
1588
Places
Creation Place: South Asia, Pakistan, Punjab, Lahore
Period
Mughal period
Culture
Indian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/169865

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
folio: 15.4 x 14 cm (6 1/16 x 5 1/2 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of John Goelet
Accession Year
1960
Object Number
1960.117.54
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
The recto side of the folio features two columns of Persian text written in black ink and nasta’liq script. The columns are interrupted by a painting depicting a male figure in the process of waking his lover. The large candle in the room denotes the scene taking place at night.
The verso side of the folio features two columns of Persian text written in black ink and nasta’liq script. The columns are interrupted by a horizontal break that contains a rectangle with Persian text written in black ink and nasta’liq script.
The folio belongs to an illustrated copy of the Divan of Anvari commissioned by the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) in 1588 and in Lahore. The poet Anvari (1126-1189) is considered one of the greatest figures in Persian literature. His panegyric in honor of the Seljuq sultan, Ahmad Sanjar (r. 1118-1157) earned him royal favor and the patronage of two of Sanjar’s successors. Anvari’s poems were collected in a Divan, which contains eulogies, satire, panegyrics, and other forms of poetry and prose.

Exhibition History

  • Anvari's Divan: A Pocket Book for Akbar, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 02/07/1984 - 03/28/1984

Related Works

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