Record Folio from a <em>Divan</em> (collected poems) by Hafiz (d. 1390); recto: text, Poem of wisdom of love, beauty, and celebration of time; verso: illustration and text, Feast of 'id | Collections Search Center, Smithsonian Institution

Folio from a Divan (collected poems) by Hafiz (d. 1390); recto: text, Poem of wisdom of love, beauty, and celebration of time; verso: illustration and text, Feast of 'id

Description:: Detached folio from a copy of the Divan (collected poems) by Hafiz (F1932.45) with selections from the work of Ibn Yamin, Omar Khayyam, and Nizami in the margins; text: Persian in black nasta'liq script; headings in white; recto: text: two columns, 12 lines and marginal verses; verso: illustration and text: Feast of 'id; one of a group of 9 detached folios (F 1932.46-54) from the bound manuscript (F1932.45); accessioned separately.; Border: The text and the painting are set in gold, black, and blue rulings on cream-colored paper.

Label:: This illustration belongs to an early-sixteenth-century copy of the Divan of the great Persian poet Hafiz. Known for his ghazals (lyrical odes), Hafiz's verses elaborate on certain abstract themes, such as youth, beauty, love, and wine, that are common to much of classical Persian poetry. His work is also infused with a distinct mystical content, associated with the Sufi sect of Islam.; The Feast of Id is inscribed with the following verses:; It is time to celebrate, the end [of the season] and; friends are waiting,; Saqi (wine bearer), behold the moon in the king's; face and bring wine.; The celebration marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, which begins and ends with the moon's sighting. Here, the crescent is visible in the upper right corner. To translate the lyrical mood of Hafiz's poem into visual form, the artist has created a lush garden setting, where elegantly dressed men are conversing, reading, listening to music, and drinking wine.

Provenance:: To 1931; Claude Anet (1868-1931), Paris to 1931 [1]; 1932; Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962), acquired in Paris, March 21, 1932 [2]; From 1932; Freer Gallery of Art, puchased from Hagop Kevorkian in 1932 [3]; Notes:; [1] Object file, folder sheet note.; [2] See Hagop Kevorkian's letter to Mr. Lodge, dated March 25, 1932 Paris, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.; [3] Object file, undated folder sheet note. See also Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List file, Collections Management Office.

Exhibition History:: Engaging the Senses (October 14, 2017 - ongoing); Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016); Islamic Metalwork in the Freer Gallery of Art (September 27, 1985 to November 17, 1986); Near Eastern Ceramics (June 24, 1982 to September 23, 1982); Near Eastern Ceramics (May 14, 1981 to May 10, 1985); Art of the Court of Shah Tahmasp (December 16, 1979 to August 14, 1980); Art of the Near East (August 21, 1977 to December 14, 1979); Ceramics from the World of Islam (January 16, 1974 to July 1, 1974); Persian Art (January 1, 1963 to September 3, 1963); Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 6 and 7 (February 25, 1956 to April 10, 1962); Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Manuscripts, Pottery, Metalwork, and Glass (April 12, 1955 to November 21, 1955); Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Arts, 1947 (October 6, 1947 to February 25, 1956); Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Paintings (May 1, 1945 to September 25, 1947); Untitled Exhibition, Persian Paintings and Ceramics (May 5, 1933 to January 9, 1945)