Harvard Art Museums > 1985.273: Illustrated Manuscript of the Divan of Baki Manuscripts Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Illustrated Manuscript of the Divan of Baki , 1985.273,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, May 02, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/215794. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1985.273 Title Illustrated Manuscript of the Divan of Baki Classification Manuscripts Work Type manuscript Date 1590-1600 Places Creation Place: Middle East, Türkiye (Turkey) Period Ottoman period Culture Ottoman Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/215794 Physical Descriptions Medium Painting with text; ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper; leather binding Dimensions 17.3 x 10 x 1.8 cm (6 13/16 x 3 15/16 x 11/16 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History [Sotheby's, London, 27 April 1982 lot 263], [through Michael Goedhuis], sold; to Edwin Binney, 3rd, 1982, bequest; to Harvard University Art Museums, 1985. 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 1985 Object Number 1985.273 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 This manuscript of the Divan of Baki is copied in nastaliq script on more than 70 folios with 17 lines and 2 columns per page. Baki (1526-1600) was an Ottoman poet and his Turkish divan (collected works) is composed of lyric odes (ghazals). The beginning of this manuscript seems to be missing as other copies of Baki’s divan include odes dedicated to Sultan Suleyman I, Selim II and Murad III, under whom the poet Baki flourished, as well as the leading dignitaries such as the grand vizier, or the seyhulislam. The manuscript contains seven paintings displaying a close text and image relationship. Most of the poems end with verses addressed to Baki himself. In four paintings, the poet Baki himself is depicted as an old man with an aquiline nose and gray beard wearing a large turban, most likely revealing his real life qualities. Illustrated folios: 6r: Baki compares himself to Farhad at carving stones of tribulation with his poetry 29v: Baki compares the stature of the youth to a cypress tree. 32r: Baki writes about dancing and pleasure. 42r: A man opens his chest to the arrows of a young man. 44v: Baki is served wine in a gathering in a garden. 47v: Two young men drink wine. 62: This folio is now loose and based on the catchwords and the text contained on it, it most likely belonged to the beginning of the manuscript. The painting depicts a historical event: The ten year old Safavid prince Haydar Mirza was sent to Istanbul from Qazvin in 1590 as a guarantor of peace between the Safavids and the Ottomans who had been at war since 1578. The poet Baki included an ode about this event to Murad III. Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be 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
