Shah Jahan (1592-1666; reigned 1628-1658) Search this
Medium:
Ink, gold, and opaque watercolor on paper
Dimensions:
H x W (open): 25.4 x 33.9 cm (10 x 13 3/8 in)
Type:
Manuscript
Origin:
India and Iran
Date:
Text dated 1468, illumination added early 16th c., paintings repainted ca. 1645
Period:
Mughal dynasty, Reign of Shah Jahan
Label:
This copy of Gulistan (Rosegarden), a collection of moralizing tales and aphorisms composed by the Persian poet Sa'di, is one of the most impressive manuscripts of its kind. Apart from its superb calligraphy, illustrations, and illumination, the volume highlights the complex artistic and cultural relationship between the Timurids of Iran and Cenral Asia (reigned ca. 1370-1502), the Mughals of India (reigned 1526-1858), and the Safavids (reigned 1501-1732), who ascended the Persian throne in 1501.
The manuscript was copied in 1468 by the celebrated Timurid calligrapher Sultan Ali Mashhadi in the capital of Herat. Sometime during the early sixteenth century, the margins of the first sixteen folios were lavishly illuminated. The exquisite design, consisting of mythical and real animals in fierce combat or intricate floral motifs, have been attributed to Aqa Mirak, one of the leading artists of the court of Shah Tahmasb (reigned 1524-76), the second Safavid ruler and remarkable patron of the arts. According to its seal impressions, the Gulistan arrived in India during the rule of Akbar, the third emperor of the Mughal dynasty in India (reigned 1556-1605), which claimed descent from the Timurids. In the mid-seventeenth century, the manuscript's original Timurid illustrations were overpainted by some of the leading Mughal artists, attached to the court of Shah Jahan.
Provenance:
Shah Tahmasp (reigned 1524-1576), Persia [1]
From at least 1558
Akbar (reigned 1556-1605), India, from at least 1558 [2]
Mughal Imperial Library [3]
From at least 1644
Jahan-ara, daughter of Shah Jahan (reigned 1628-1658), from at least 1644 [4]
Marquis of Bute, England [5]
To 1998
The Art and History Trust, Liechtenstein, to 1998
From 1998
Freer Gallery of Art, given by the Art and History Trust in 1998 [6]
Notes:
[1] According to Curatorial Note 1, Massumeh Farhad, March 16, 1998, in the object record.
[2] See note 1.
[3] See note 1.
[4] See note 1. Shah-Jahan, was the grandson of Akbar.
[5] According to Curatorial Note 4 in the object record.
[6] The Art and History Trust was established in 1991 by Abolala Soudavar and his family of distinguished bibliophiles. Gathered over a period of some thirty years, the collection is presently on long-term loan to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. However, this particular manuscript was given in honor of Ezzat-Malek Soudavar to the Freer Gallery of Art on the occasion of its seventy-fifth anniversary (see Curatorial Note 4, Massumeh Farhad, August 18, 1998, in the object record).
Collection:
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History:
Engaging the Senses (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)
Nasta’liq: The Genius of Persian Calligraphy (September 13, 2014 to May 3, 2015)
Worlds within Worlds: Imperial Paintings from India and Iran (July 28 to September 16, 2012)
East of Eden: Gardens in Asian Art (February 24 to May 13, 2007)
In the Realm of Princes: The Arts of the Book in Fifteenth Century Iran and Central Asia (March 19 to August 7, 2005)
Beyond the Legacy--Anniversary Acquisitions of the Freer Gallery of Art (October 11, 1998 to April 11, 1999)
Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016)
The Jewel and the Rose: Art of Shah Jahan (May 4, 1997 to January 25, 1998)
A Mughal Hunt (March 13 to September 11, 1994)
Art of the Persian Courts: Selections from the Art and History Trust (November 5, 1992 to April 6, 1997)
International Exhibition of Persian Art (January 7 to March 7, 1931)
