1919.254: Preparatory Portrait of Shah Dawla

Identification and Creation

Object Number

1919.254

Title

Preparatory Portrait of Shah Dawla

Classification

Drawings

Work Type

drawing

Date

18th century

Places

Creation Place: South Asia, India

Period

Mughal period

Culture

Indian

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/217055

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Black ink on deer skin (charba)

Dimensions

10.7 x 8.2 cm (4 3/16 x 3 1/4 in.)

Inscriptions and Marks

• inscription: Language: Persian/Hindi
  Script: Nasta’liq/Devanagari
  Persian:
  شاه دولا خان بين
  Shah Doula Khan bin ….

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Hervey E. Wetzel

Accession Year

1919

Object Number

1919.254

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Descriptions

Description

The small fragment depicts a standing, aged figure in profile. His arms are held outward, gesturing as if in conversation. He wears a long robe and a patchwork shawl with a collar. The figure has a long, white beard that ends in two black tendrils. He wears a hat that appears to be conical in shape. The shawl, hat, and beard style may indicate that he practices Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam.

Exhibition History

• The Tablet and the Pen: Drawings from the Islamic World, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 02/18/2006 - 07/23/2006

Verification Level