2012.51: Calligraphic Composition in the Shape of a Bird

Identification and Creation

Object Number

2012.51

Title

Calligraphic Composition in the Shape of a Bird

Classification

Calligraphy

Date

1804

Places

Creation Place: Middle East, Iran

Period

Qajar period

Culture

Persian

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/336993

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Dimensions

26.7 x 38.7 cm (10 1/2 x 15 1/4 in.)

Inscriptions and Marks

• Signed: Abd al-Sattar
• inscription: Qur'an: sura 57 (al-Hadid),sura 112 (al-Ikhlas), sura 108 (al-Kauthar).
  Signature and date: "written by the hand of the lowly Abd al-Sattar in the year 1219".

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History

[Adrienne Minassian, New York, 30 October 1973], sold; to Edwin Binney, 3rd, California, (1973-1986), bequest; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2012.

NOTE:
Stored at the San Diego Museum of Art from some time before 1986 until 1991, then at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from 1991-2011.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Edwin Binney, 3rd Collection of Turkish Art at the Harvard Art Museums

Accession Year

2012

Object Number

2012.51

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Descriptions

Description

In this tripartite calligraphic composition, the panels on the right and on the left consist of Qur'anic inscriptions, while in the center there is an image of a bird perched on a flowering branch, also composed from verses of the Qur'an. A decorative border, with flowering scrolls painted on a blue background, divides and frames the panels. The texts at the corners and on the side panels are surrounded by a cloud form in reserve, with gold or red hatching pattern in the background.
The central panel is a calligram. Verses from the Qur'an are here arranged to form the bird and flowering branch, creating tension between the text and the image. The verses, including sura 57 (al-Hadid), sura 112 (al-Ikhlas) and sura 108 (al-Kauthar), are copied in naskhi script. The composition is dated H. 1219/1804 and signed in three places by the calligrapher Abd al-Sattar.

Exhibition History

• 32Q: 2550 Islamic, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 04/26/2017 - 11/08/2017
• 32Q: 3620 University Study Gallery, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 04/10/2015 - 05/10/2015

Verification Level