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Identification and Creation

Object Number
18.2015
Title
Album of calligraphy specimens
Classification
Albums
Work Type
album
Date
1854 (date of album compilation)
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Iran
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/352093

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Ink, colors, and gold on paper; leather and gold binding
Dimensions
24 x 15 cm (9 7/16 x 5 7/8 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
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.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Loan from A. Soudavar in memory of his mother Ezzat-Malek Soudavar
Object Number
18.2015
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
The album contains 19 folios, carrying 36 pieces of calligraphy. A small note suggests that the album entered the library of Khanlar Mirza Ihtisham al-Dawla, in Muharram 1271/Sep-Oct 1854. He was the seventeenth son of the crown prince, ‘Abbas Mirza.

All folios have attributions written in the margins. Altogether there are 2 folios in taʿliq by Khwaja Ikhtiyar, 13 folios by Darvish ‘Abd al-Majid Taliqani (d. Isfahan, 1185 H.), 7 folios by Muhammad Shafi‘ Isfahani (known as Shafi‘a) (d. c.1089 H.), 3 folios by Mirza Kuchak Isfahani (d. after 1228 H.), 2 by Mirza Riza (d. 12th century H.), 2 in the style of Shafi‘a, and 2 in the manner of Darvish. The two folios attributed to Khwaja Ikhtiyar are the oldest works in this album.

The album is bound in a dark brown leather binding bordered by gold painted frames. The inside covers are plain brown leather framed by two gold lines.
Commentary
Script: shikasta and ta‘liq

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 2550 Islamic, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/06/2022 - 05/05/2022

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Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or 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