Harvard Art Museums > 27.2004: Poster depicting Noah's ark as a calligraphic composition Calligraphy Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Add to Collection Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Poster depicting Noah's ark as a calligraphic composition , 27.2004,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Oct 08, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/70635. Identification and Creation Object Number 27.2004 Title Poster depicting Noah's ark as a calligraphic composition Other Titles Original Language Title: Nu hai chuan Classification Calligraphy Work Type calligraphy Places Creation Place: East Asia, China Culture Chinese Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/70635 Physical Descriptions Dimensions 39 x 53.5 cm (15 3/8 x 21 1/16 in.) Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Loan from Harvard-Yenching Library Object Number 27.2004 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 Published in Beijing in the 1930s, this lithographic poster shows a calligraphic composition in the form of a ship. The title “Noah’s Ark” is written in Chinese at the top. Above it in the red cartouche is a well-known hadith (saying of the Prophet Muhammad) that likens the Prophet Muhammad’s household (Ahl al-Bayt) to Noah’s ark: whoever takes refuge in it is saved, and whoever is left behind is drowned. Muhammad’s family members are named on the small gray flags, as are the four caliphs. The words written in blue on the four white sails praise Ali, son-in-law of Muhammad, first Shiʿi Imam and the fourth caliph. His assistance is invoked in the verses on the ship’s black hull. Other verses proclaim God as the light in darkness and the true savior. The publishing house Qing Zhen Shu Bao She was founded in 1922 by Imam Ma Kuilin in Beijing to distribute Islamic religious books and other materials, such as this poster, to its Chinese Muslim clients. Exhibition History 32Q: 2550 Islamic, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 10/18/2023 - 04/15/2024 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
