Muhammad Hadi (Iranian, active mid-18th century) Search this
Medium:
Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper
Dimensions:
H x W (overall): 32.4 x 47.6 cm (12 3/4 x 18 3/4 in)
Type:
Painting
Origin:
India
Date:
ca. 1680; borders mid-18th c.
Period:
Mughal dynasty
Court:
Mughal Court
School/Tradition:
Mughal school
Description:
The borders (signed by M. Baqir) surrounding the painting are decorated in gold with animals in formalized landscapes.
The borders (signed and dated 1757-58 by M. Hadi) surrounding the six panels of nasta'liq calligraphy are decorated with large floral arabesques in silver and gold on dark blue.
Signatures:
Borders surrounding the painting signed by M. Baqir.
Borders surrounding the painting signed by M. Baqir.
Provenance:
To 1739
Mughal Imperial Library, Delhi, to 1739 [1]
To late 19th century
Persian Imperial Library, to late 19th century [2]
B y late 19th century
Russian Imperial Library (probably), by late 19th century [3]
Private collection, Europe [4]
To 1994
Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd., New York City, to 1994
From 1994
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd. in 1994
Notes:
[1] Indian paintings in the St. Petersburg Album were taken from Delhi, India in the 1739 sack of the imperial capital of the Mughal dynasty (1526-1858) by Nadir Shah of Persia.
Many of the finest Mughal paintings were included in the loot, and several were assembled (in Iran) into an album.
In the later 19th century, the album was taken apart and dispersed in Europe - with the major portion ending up in the Russian Imperial Collections. Other works were sold through the art market at that time.
All known pages from the St. Petersburg Album have been out of Iran for a century, and the Indian paintings were taken from India more than 250 years ago (see Curatorial Note 5, Milo C. Beach, March 4, 1994, in the object record).
[2] See note 1.
[3] See note 1.
[4] See note 1.
Collection:
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History:
Arts of the Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas (October 16, 2004 to January 3, 2016)
Honoring Friends: Recent Gifts by Members of the Freer and Sackler Galleries (June 10 to November 25, 2001)
