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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1960.117.314
People
Attributed to Miskin, Indian
Title
The Fox's Fear (painting, recto; text, verso), folio 314 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/169905

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
folio: 14 x 7.2 cm (5 1/2 x 2 13/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Louis J. Cartier collection. John Goelet, New York, NY, (by 1960), gift; to Fogg Art Museum, 1960.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of John Goelet
Accession Year
1960
Object Number
1960.117.314
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
The recto side of the folio features a painting depicting a mounted hunter on a foxhunt. He holds his sword high in the air as he gallops through terrain surrounded by rocky outcrops. A hunting dog and attendant on foot accompany him. The painting is flanked by verses of Persian text written in black ink and in nasta’liq script.
The verso side of the folio features two columns of Persian text written in black ink and nasta’liq script. There is a horizontal break towards the top and at the bottom of the page.
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.

Publication History

  • Stuart Cary Welch, The Art of Mughal India: Painting & Precious Objects, exh. cat., Harry N. Abrams, Inc. and Asia Society Museum (New York, NY, 1963), p. 162, no. 4D, pl. 4D
  • James Cuno, Alvin L. Clark, Jr., Ivan Gaskell, and William W. Robinson, Harvard's Art Museums: 100 Years of Collecting, ed. James Cuno, Harvard University Art Museums and Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (Cambridge, MA, 1996), page 144-145
  • Masterpieces of world art : Fogg Art Museum, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Busch-Reisinger Museum, 1997

Exhibition History

  • Anvari's Divan: A Pocket Book for Akbar, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 02/07/1984 - 03/28/1984
  • Paintings for Emperors, Rajs, and Sultans, Harvard University Art Museums, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 09/19/1987 - 11/21/1987
  • An Imperial Vision. The Art of Mughal India, 1526-1658, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 10/17/1992 - 12/06/1992
  • Arts of Empire: Mughal India, 1526-1705, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 10/17/1992 - 12/13/1992
  • The Enlightened Eye: Gifts from John Goelet, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 02/12/2000 - 05/07/2000
  • 32Q: 2590 South and Southeast Asia, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 05/14/2015
  • Himalayan Art: Art of the Divine Abode, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/22/2022 - 05/08/2022

Subjects and Contexts

  • Google Art Project

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