Harvard Art Museums > 2012.51: Calligraphic Composition in the Shape of a Bird Calligraphy Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Calligraphic Composition in the Shape of a Bird , 2012.51,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, May 20, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/336993. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2012.51 Title Calligraphic Composition in the Shape of a Bird Classification Calligraphy Date 1804 Places Creation Place: Middle East, Iran Period Qajar period Culture Persian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/336993 Physical Descriptions Medium Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper Dimensions 26.7 x 38.7 cm (10 1/2 x 15 1/4 in.) Inscriptions and Marks Signed: Abd al-Sattar inscription: Qur'an: sura 57 (al-Hadid),sura 112 (al-Ikhlas), sura 108 (al-Kauthar). Signature and date: "written by the hand of the lowly Abd al-Sattar in the year 1219". Provenance Recorded Ownership History [Adrienne Minassian, New York, 30 October 1973], sold; to Edwin Binney, 3rd, California, (1973-1986), bequest; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2012. NOTE: Stored at the San Diego Museum of Art from some time before 1986 until 1991, then at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from 1991-2011. 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 2012 Object Number 2012.51 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 In this tripartite calligraphic composition, the panels on the right and on the left consist of Qur'anic inscriptions, while in the center there is an image of a bird perched on a flowering branch, also composed from verses of the Qur'an. A decorative border, with flowering scrolls painted on a blue background, divides and frames the panels. The texts at the corners and on the side panels are surrounded by a cloud form in reserve, with gold or red hatching pattern in the background. The central panel is a calligram. Verses from the Qur'an are here arranged to form the bird and flowering branch, creating tension between the text and the image. The verses, including sura 57 (al-Hadid), sura 112 (al-Ikhlas) and sura 108 (al-Kauthar), are copied in naskhi script. The composition is dated H. 1219/1804 and signed in three places by the calligrapher Abd al-Sattar. Exhibition History 32Q: 2550 Islamic, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 04/26/2017 - 11/08/2017 32Q: 3620 University Study Gallery, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 04/10/2015 - 05/10/2015 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
