Harvard Art Museums > 2002.50.24: Illuminated folio from an unidentified manuscript 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"Illuminated folio from an unidentified manuscript , 2002.50.24,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 16, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/97425. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2002.50.24 Title Illuminated folio from an unidentified manuscript Classification Manuscripts Work Type manuscript folio Date 16th century Places Creation Place: Middle East, Iran Period Safavid period Culture Persian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/97425 Physical Descriptions Medium Black ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on beige paper Dimensions 26.5 x 14.6 cm (10 7/16 x 5 3/4 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood, Belmont, MA (by 1998-2002), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2002. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art Accession Year 2002 Object Number 2002.50.24 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 page features a shamsa (sun), an illuminated medallion in which the title of a book or chapter was often inscribed. This shamsa is composed of abstract and floral forms in gold and blue surrounding a plain gold circular center, which has been repainted. An underlying inscription is detectable via X-ray, but unfortunately only one word can be read: as?abi (lords or possessors). Repainting aside, the shamsa is executed with delicate brushwork and careful attention to detail. Balanced and symmetrical in composition and palette, it compares well with other illumination produced in Central Asia and Iran during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Published Catalogue Text: In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art , written 2013103 Illuminated folio from an unidentified manuscript Recto: blank except for later inscriptions, now illegibly blurred Verso: shamsa Iran or Central Asia, Safavid or Shaybanid period, 16th–17th century Black ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on beige paper Folio: 26.5 × 14.6 cm (10 7/16 × 5 3/4 in.) 2002.50.24 This page features a shamsa (sun), an illuminated medallion in which the title of a book or chapter was often inscribed. This shamsa is composed of abstract and floral forms in gold and blue surrounding a plain gold circular center, which has been repainted. An underlying inscription is detectable via X-ray, but unfortunately only one word can be read: asḥabi (lords or possessors). Repainting aside, the shamsa is executed with delicate brushwork and careful attention to detail. Balanced and symmetrical in composition and palette, it compares well with other illumination produced in Central Asia and Iran during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Mika M. Natif Publication History Mary McWilliams, ed., In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, exh. cat., Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2013), p. 242, cat. 103, ill. Exhibition History In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/31/2013 - 06/01/2013 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
