Harvard Art Museums > 2011.93: An Image of Majnun with Verses from the Poem Layla va Majnun Albums Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"An Image of Majnun with Verses from the Poem Layla va Majnun , 2011.93,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 19, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/198944. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2011.93 Title An Image of Majnun with Verses from the Poem Layla va Majnun Classification Albums Work Type painting with calligraphy Date 19th century Places Creation Place: Middle East, Iran Period Qajar period Culture Persian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/198944 Physical Descriptions Medium Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper Dimensions Folio: 28.5 x 20 cm (11 1/4 x 7 7/8 in.) Inscriptions and Marks inscription: Above the figures head is written in Persian “taswir-i majnun,” or “Image of Majnun.” The figure is surrounded by text blocks containing 20 lines of Persian poetry from various sources, all referencing the story of Layla and Majnun. Provenance Recorded Ownership History Stuart Cary Welch, Jr. Collection, New Hampshire (by 1969-2011), sold; through [Sotheby’s, London, 5/31/2011, lot 57]; to Harvard Art Museums, 2011. Note: Prior to being returned to the Welch family in 2009, this object had been on loan to the Harvard Art Museums beginning on April 1, 1969 as TL17443.36, while in the Collection of the late Stuart Cary Welch Jr. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Richard Norton Memorial Fund Accession Year 2011 Object Number 2011.93 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description The unmistakable image of Majnun—dreamy-eyed but skeletal—marks the vertical axis of this work. The figure is boxed in by 20 lines of Persian poetry. The rubric “Image of Majnun” is written in Persian above his head, and a small gazelle reposes below his feet. In his hands he holds an open copy of the Qur’an. A blue floral border frames the work. Exhibition History Saints, Shrines and Pilgrimages, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 04/06/1991 - 06/09/1991 On the Path of Madness: Representations of Majnun in Persian, Turkish, and Indian Painting, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 09/27/2007 - 03/23/2008 Verification Level This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
