Metropolitan Museum V

"Laila and Majnun at School", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami A.H. 835/ A.D. 1431–32 Object Details Title: "Laila and Majnun at School", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami Calligrapher: Ja'far Baisunghuri (active first half 15th century) Author: Nizami (1141–1209) Date: A.H. 835/ A.D. 1431–32 Geography: Made in present-day Afghanistan, Herat Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper Dimensions: Page: H. 12 5/16 in. (31.3 cm) W. 9 in. (22.9cm) Mat: H. 19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm) W. 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm) Classification: Codices Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1994 Accession Number: 1994.232.4 This splendid painting is from a manuscript of the frequently illustrated story of Laila and Majnun by the twelfth-century Persian poet Nizami. It was commissioned by the Timurid prince Baisunghur of Herat, one of the greatest bibliophiles in all Islamic history, who gathered at his court the very best painters from Baghdad, Tabriz, Shiraz, and Samarkand to illustrate his matchless collection of books. This illustration depicts Qais, the future "mad one" (Majnun) for love, and Laila, his beloved, who meet for the first time as children at a mosque school. The painting underscores the closely related aesthetics of figural painting and abstract calligraphy, architectural tiling and royal carpet weaving in traditional Islamic civilization, united here in a visual symphony of flat but dramatically colored patterns. The scene depicts the child lovers framed in the mosque's prayer niche in order to emphasize their mystical status. These visual conventions of Persian art, usually laden, as here, with Neoplatonic symbolism, crystallized in the royal cities of Tabriz and then Herat at the turn of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and endured for another 250 years in the court paintings of Iran, Turkey, and India. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/455041

Maharaja Sardar Singh of Bikaner ca. 1860–70 Object Details Title: Maharaja Sardar Singh of Bikaner Artist: Chotu Date: ca. 1860–70 Culture: India (Rajasthan, Bikaner) Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper Dimensions: 16 x 12 in. (40.6 x 30.5 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1996 Accession Number: 1996.100.7 Maharaja Sardar Singh (r. 1851–72) is captured here in an extraordinary portrait whose creator was undoubtedly aware of the inroads photography was making among royal patrons. At first glance, the work seems one of almost photographic realism. However, Chotu has carefully manipulated the painting's elements to play two and three-dimensional forms against one another, achieving a slightly surreal effect that is heightened by the composition's commanding symmetry, even down to the cleft beard and the bosses on the shield. The regularity is offset by the asymmetry of the pleated shawl and garment and by the fantastical turban, which is like some postmodern assemblage crowning the brooding visage. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/38044

Maharaja Sardar Singh of Bikaner ca. 1860–70 Object Details Title: Maharaja Sardar Singh of Bikaner Artist: Chotu Date: ca. 1860–70 Culture: India (Rajasthan, Bikaner) Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper Dimensions: 16 x 12 in. (40.6 x 30.5 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1996 Accession Number: 1996.100.7 Maharaja Sardar Singh (r. 1851–72) is captured here in an extraordinary portrait whose creator was undoubtedly aware of the inroads photography was making among royal patrons. At first glance, the work seems one of almost photographic realism. However, Chotu has carefully manipulated the painting's elements to play two and three-dimensional forms against one another, achieving a slightly surreal effect that is heightened by the composition's commanding symmetry, even down to the cleft beard and the bosses on the shield. The regularity is offset by the asymmetry of the pleated shawl and garment and by the fantastical turban, which is like some postmodern assemblage crowning the brooding visage. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/38044

Maharaja Sardar Singh of Bikaner ca. 1860–70 Object Details Title: Maharaja Sardar Singh of Bikaner Artist: Chotu Date: ca. 1860–70 Culture: India (Rajasthan, Bikaner) Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper Dimensions: 16 x 12 in. (40.6 x 30.5 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1996 Accession Number: 1996.100.7 Maharaja Sardar Singh (r. 1851–72) is captured here in an extraordinary portrait whose creator was undoubtedly aware of the inroads photography was making among royal patrons. At first glance, the work seems one of almost photographic realism. However, Chotu has carefully manipulated the painting's elements to play two and three-dimensional forms against one another, achieving a slightly surreal effect that is heightened by the composition's commanding symmetry, even down to the cleft beard and the bosses on the shield. The regularity is offset by the asymmetry of the pleated shawl and garment and by the fantastical turban, which is like some postmodern assemblage crowning the brooding visage. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/38044

Maharaja Sardar Singh of Bikaner ca. 1860–70 Object Details Title: Maharaja Sardar Singh of Bikaner Artist: Chotu Date: ca. 1860–70 Culture: India (Rajasthan, Bikaner) Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper Dimensions: 16 x 12 in. (40.6 x 30.5 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1996 Accession Number: 1996.100.7 Maharaja Sardar Singh (r. 1851–72) is captured here in an extraordinary portrait whose creator was undoubtedly aware of the inroads photography was making among royal patrons. At first glance, the work seems one of almost photographic realism. However, Chotu has carefully manipulated the painting's elements to play two and three-dimensional forms against one another, achieving a slightly surreal effect that is heightened by the composition's commanding symmetry, even down to the cleft beard and the bosses on the shield. The regularity is offset by the asymmetry of the pleated shawl and garment and by the fantastical turban, which is like some postmodern assemblage crowning the brooding visage. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/38044

Maharaja Sardar Singh of Bikaner ca. 1860–70 Object Details Title: Maharaja Sardar Singh of Bikaner Artist: Chotu Date: ca. 1860–70 Culture: India (Rajasthan, Bikaner) Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper Dimensions: 16 x 12 in. (40.6 x 30.5 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1996 Accession Number: 1996.100.7 Maharaja Sardar Singh (r. 1851–72) is captured here in an extraordinary portrait whose creator was undoubtedly aware of the inroads photography was making among royal patrons. At first glance, the work seems one of almost photographic realism. However, Chotu has carefully manipulated the painting's elements to play two and three-dimensional forms against one another, achieving a slightly surreal effect that is heightened by the composition's commanding symmetry, even down to the cleft beard and the bosses on the shield. The regularity is offset by the asymmetry of the pleated shawl and garment and by the fantastical turban, which is like some postmodern assemblage crowning the brooding visage. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/38044

"Rustam Shoots His Half-brother Shaghad through a Plane Tree", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi dated A.H. 887/A.D. 1482 Object Details Title: "Rustam Shoots His Half-brother Shaghad through a Plane Tree", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi Author: Abu'l Qasim Firdausi (935–1020) Date: dated A.H. 887/A.D. 1482 Geography: Made in Iran, Shiraz Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper Dimensions: H. 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm) W. 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm) Classification: Codices Credit Line: Samuel D. Lee Fund, 1940 Accession Number: 40.38.2 Rustam, the great epic hero of the Iran, was lured by his treacherous half-brother to ride over a hidden pit implanted with spears, which impaled him and his trusted horse Raksh. However, with the last vestige of his strength, Rustam was able to shoot his murderer through the tree behind which he was lurking. This miniature is in the forthright style associated with the city of Shiraz under the Aq Qoyonlu (White Sheep) Turkoman domination. The compositions are usually simplified and balanced, while the overall effect is both vigorous and decorative. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/449688

"Rustam Shoots His Half-brother Shaghad through a Plane Tree", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi dated A.H. 887/A.D. 1482 Object Details Title: "Rustam Shoots His Half-brother Shaghad through a Plane Tree", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi Author: Abu'l Qasim Firdausi (935–1020) Date: dated A.H. 887/A.D. 1482 Geography: Made in Iran, Shiraz Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper Dimensions: H. 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm) W. 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm) Classification: Codices Credit Line: Samuel D. Lee Fund, 1940 Accession Number: 40.38.2 Rustam, the great epic hero of the Iran, was lured by his treacherous half-brother to ride over a hidden pit implanted with spears, which impaled him and his trusted horse Raksh. However, with the last vestige of his strength, Rustam was able to shoot his murderer through the tree behind which he was lurking. This miniature is in the forthright style associated with the city of Shiraz under the Aq Qoyonlu (White Sheep) Turkoman domination. The compositions are usually simplified and balanced, while the overall effect is both vigorous and decorative. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/449688

"Rustam Shoots His Half-brother Shaghad through a Plane Tree", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi dated A.H. 887/A.D. 1482 Object Details Title: "Rustam Shoots His Half-brother Shaghad through a Plane Tree", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi Author: Abu'l Qasim Firdausi (935–1020) Date: dated A.H. 887/A.D. 1482 Geography: Made in Iran, Shiraz Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper Dimensions: H. 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm) W. 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm) Classification: Codices Credit Line: Samuel D. Lee Fund, 1940 Accession Number: 40.38.2 Rustam, the great epic hero of the Iran, was lured by his treacherous half-brother to ride over a hidden pit implanted with spears, which impaled him and his trusted horse Raksh. However, with the last vestige of his strength, Rustam was able to shoot his murderer through the tree behind which he was lurking. This miniature is in the forthright style associated with the city of Shiraz under the Aq Qoyonlu (White Sheep) Turkoman domination. The compositions are usually simplified and balanced, while the overall effect is both vigorous and decorative. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/449688

Incense Burner of Amir Saif al-Dunya wa’l-Din ibn Muhammad al-Mawardi dated A.H. 577/ A.D. 1181–82 Object Details Title: Incense Burner of Amir Saif al-Dunya wa’l-Din ibn Muhammad al-Mawardi Maker: Ja`far ibn Muhammad ibn `Ali Date: dated A.H. 577/ A.D. 1181–82 Geography: Found Iran, Taybad Medium: Bronze; cast, engraved, chased, pierced Dimensions: OveralL. H. 33 1/2 in. (85.1 cm) L. 32 1/2 in. (82.6 cm) W. 9 in. (22.9 cm) L. from heel of back foot to toe of front foot: 22 in. (55.9 cm) L. from toe of front foot to tip of nose: 4 in. (10.2 cm) L. from heel of back foot to tip of taiL. 7 in. (17.8 cm) Classification: Metal Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1951 Accession Number: 51.56 Zoomorphic incense burners were popular during the Seljuq period. This lion-shaped example is exceptional for its monumental scale, the refinement of its engraved ornament, and the wealth of information provided by the Arabic calligraphic bands inscribed on its body. These include the names of the patron and the artist, as well as the date of manufacture. The head is removable so that coal and incense could be placed inside, and the body and neck are pierced so that the scented smoke could escape. The lion certainly would have been at home in a palatial setting. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/451042

Incense Burner of Amir Saif al-Dunya wa’l-Din ibn Muhammad al-Mawardi dated A.H. 577/ A.D. 1181–82 Object Details Title: Incense Burner of Amir Saif al-Dunya wa’l-Din ibn Muhammad al-Mawardi Maker: Ja`far ibn Muhammad ibn `Ali Date: dated A.H. 577/ A.D. 1181–82 Geography: Found Iran, Taybad Medium: Bronze; cast, engraved, chased, pierced Dimensions: OveralL. H. 33 1/2 in. (85.1 cm) L. 32 1/2 in. (82.6 cm) W. 9 in. (22.9 cm) L. from heel of back foot to toe of front foot: 22 in. (55.9 cm) L. from toe of front foot to tip of nose: 4 in. (10.2 cm) L. from heel of back foot to tip of taiL. 7 in. (17.8 cm) Classification: Metal Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1951 Accession Number: 51.56 Zoomorphic incense burners were popular during the Seljuq period. This lion-shaped example is exceptional for its monumental scale, the refinement of its engraved ornament, and the wealth of information provided by the Arabic calligraphic bands inscribed on its body. These include the names of the patron and the artist, as well as the date of manufacture. The head is removable so that coal and incense could be placed inside, and the body and neck are pierced so that the scented smoke could escape. The lion certainly would have been at home in a palatial setting. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/451042

Incense Burner of Amir Saif al-Dunya wa’l-Din ibn Muhammad al-Mawardi dated A.H. 577/ A.D. 1181–82 Object Details Title: Incense Burner of Amir Saif al-Dunya wa’l-Din ibn Muhammad al-Mawardi Maker: Ja`far ibn Muhammad ibn `Ali Date: dated A.H. 577/ A.D. 1181–82 Geography: Found Iran, Taybad Medium: Bronze; cast, engraved, chased, pierced Dimensions: OveralL. H. 33 1/2 in. (85.1 cm) L. 32 1/2 in. (82.6 cm) W. 9 in. (22.9 cm) L. from heel of back foot to toe of front foot: 22 in. (55.9 cm) L. from toe of front foot to tip of nose: 4 in. (10.2 cm) L. from heel of back foot to tip of taiL. 7 in. (17.8 cm) Classification: Metal Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1951 Accession Number: 51.56 Zoomorphic incense burners were popular during the Seljuq period. This lion-shaped example is exceptional for its monumental scale, the refinement of its engraved ornament, and the wealth of information provided by the Arabic calligraphic bands inscribed on its body. These include the names of the patron and the artist, as well as the date of manufacture. The head is removable so that coal and incense could be placed inside, and the body and neck are pierced so that the scented smoke could escape. The lion certainly would have been at home in a palatial setting. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/451042

Incense Burner of Amir Saif al-Dunya wa’l-Din ibn Muhammad al-Mawardi dated A.H. 577/ A.D. 1181–82 Object Details Title: Incense Burner of Amir Saif al-Dunya wa’l-Din ibn Muhammad al-Mawardi Maker: Ja`far ibn Muhammad ibn `Ali Date: dated A.H. 577/ A.D. 1181–82 Geography: Found Iran, Taybad Medium: Bronze; cast, engraved, chased, pierced Dimensions: OveralL. H. 33 1/2 in. (85.1 cm) L. 32 1/2 in. (82.6 cm) W. 9 in. (22.9 cm) L. from heel of back foot to toe of front foot: 22 in. (55.9 cm) L. from toe of front foot to tip of nose: 4 in. (10.2 cm) L. from heel of back foot to tip of taiL. 7 in. (17.8 cm) Classification: Metal Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1951 Accession Number: 51.56 Zoomorphic incense burners were popular during the Seljuq period. This lion-shaped example is exceptional for its monumental scale, the refinement of its engraved ornament, and the wealth of information provided by the Arabic calligraphic bands inscribed on its body. These include the names of the patron and the artist, as well as the date of manufacture. The head is removable so that coal and incense could be placed inside, and the body and neck are pierced so that the scented smoke could escape. The lion certainly would have been at home in a palatial setting. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/451042

Incense Burner of Amir Saif al-Dunya wa’l-Din ibn Muhammad al-Mawardi dated A.H. 577/ A.D. 1181–82 Object Details Title: Incense Burner of Amir Saif al-Dunya wa’l-Din ibn Muhammad al-Mawardi Maker: Ja`far ibn Muhammad ibn `Ali Date: dated A.H. 577/ A.D. 1181–82 Geography: Found Iran, Taybad Medium: Bronze; cast, engraved, chased, pierced Dimensions: OveralL. H. 33 1/2 in. (85.1 cm) L. 32 1/2 in. (82.6 cm) W. 9 in. (22.9 cm) L. from heel of back foot to toe of front foot: 22 in. (55.9 cm) L. from toe of front foot to tip of nose: 4 in. (10.2 cm) L. from heel of back foot to tip of taiL. 7 in. (17.8 cm) Classification: Metal Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1951 Accession Number: 51.56 Zoomorphic incense burners were popular during the Seljuq period. This lion-shaped example is exceptional for its monumental scale, the refinement of its engraved ornament, and the wealth of information provided by the Arabic calligraphic bands inscribed on its body. These include the names of the patron and the artist, as well as the date of manufacture. The head is removable so that coal and incense could be placed inside, and the body and neck are pierced so that the scented smoke could escape. The lion certainly would have been at home in a palatial setting. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/451042

Panel with the god Zeus/Serapis/Ohrmazd and worshiper ca. 3rd century A.D. Object Details Title: Panel with the god Zeus/Serapis/Ohrmazd and worshiper Period: Kushan Date: ca. 3rd century A.D. Geography: Bactria Culture: Kushan Medium: Terracotta, gouache Dimensions: H. 56.8 cm, W. 52.3 cm, D. 5.4 cm 43 lbs Classification: Ceramics-Paintings Credit Line: Purchase, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Gift, 2000 Accession Number: 2000.42.2 This rare Central Asian votive panel depicts a deity (with nimbus) being approached by a male worshiper, probably nonroyal but portrayed as of equal stature to the god. Compositionally, they follow scenes of homage and investiture from the post-Hellenistic West and from Iran in which a king and a god appear side by side. A majestic figure with a full beard and long wavy hair, who has been identified as the supreme deity Zeus/Serapis/Ohrmazd, receives a suppliant in the characteristic Iranian short tunic and leggings, hands clasped in adoration. Here, the rich intercultural style that developed in the Kushan realm is clearly displayed: Indian divine iconography; the Iranian type of two-figured composition; and Greco-Roman naturalism in the drapery and pose, as well as in the use of light and shadow to suggest modeling. The panel has holes at the corners and was probably set up, together with three others acquired by the Museum (MMA 2000.42.1, .3, .4), on the interior walls of a sanctuary, perhaps a family shrine. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327830

Panel with the god Zeus/Serapis/Ohrmazd and worshiper ca. 3rd century A.D. Object Details Title: Panel with the god Zeus/Serapis/Ohrmazd and worshiper Period: Kushan Date: ca. 3rd century A.D. Geography: Bactria Culture: Kushan Medium: Terracotta, gouache Dimensions: H. 56.8 cm, W. 52.3 cm, D. 5.4 cm 43 lbs Classification: Ceramics-Paintings Credit Line: Purchase, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Gift, 2000 Accession Number: 2000.42.2 This rare Central Asian votive panel depicts a deity (with nimbus) being approached by a male worshiper, probably nonroyal but portrayed as of equal stature to the god. Compositionally, they follow scenes of homage and investiture from the post-Hellenistic West and from Iran in which a king and a god appear side by side. A majestic figure with a full beard and long wavy hair, who has been identified as the supreme deity Zeus/Serapis/Ohrmazd, receives a suppliant in the characteristic Iranian short tunic and leggings, hands clasped in adoration. Here, the rich intercultural style that developed in the Kushan realm is clearly displayed: Indian divine iconography; the Iranian type of two-figured composition; and Greco-Roman naturalism in the drapery and pose, as well as in the use of light and shadow to suggest modeling. The panel has holes at the corners and was probably set up, together with three others acquired by the Museum (MMA 2000.42.1, .3, .4), on the interior walls of a sanctuary, perhaps a family shrine. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327830

Panel with the god Zeus/Serapis/Ohrmazd and worshiper ca. 3rd century A.D. Object Details Title: Panel with the god Zeus/Serapis/Ohrmazd and worshiper Period: Kushan Date: ca. 3rd century A.D. Geography: Bactria Culture: Kushan Medium: Terracotta, gouache Dimensions: H. 56.8 cm, W. 52.3 cm, D. 5.4 cm 43 lbs Classification: Ceramics-Paintings Credit Line: Purchase, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Gift, 2000 Accession Number: 2000.42.2 This rare Central Asian votive panel depicts a deity (with nimbus) being approached by a male worshiper, probably nonroyal but portrayed as of equal stature to the god. Compositionally, they follow scenes of homage and investiture from the post-Hellenistic West and from Iran in which a king and a god appear side by side. A majestic figure with a full beard and long wavy hair, who has been identified as the supreme deity Zeus/Serapis/Ohrmazd, receives a suppliant in the characteristic Iranian short tunic and leggings, hands clasped in adoration. Here, the rich intercultural style that developed in the Kushan realm is clearly displayed: Indian divine iconography; the Iranian type of two-figured composition; and Greco-Roman naturalism in the drapery and pose, as well as in the use of light and shadow to suggest modeling. The panel has holes at the corners and was probably set up, together with three others acquired by the Museum (MMA 2000.42.1, .3, .4), on the interior walls of a sanctuary, perhaps a family shrine. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327830

Panel with the god Zeus/Serapis/Ohrmazd and worshiper ca. 3rd century A.D. Object Details Title: Panel with the god Zeus/Serapis/Ohrmazd and worshiper Period: Kushan Date: ca. 3rd century A.D. Geography: Bactria Culture: Kushan Medium: Terracotta, gouache Dimensions: H. 56.8 cm, W. 52.3 cm, D. 5.4 cm 43 lbs Classification: Ceramics-Paintings Credit Line: Purchase, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Gift, 2000 Accession Number: 2000.42.2 This rare Central Asian votive panel depicts a deity (with nimbus) being approached by a male worshiper, probably nonroyal but portrayed as of equal stature to the god. Compositionally, they follow scenes of homage and investiture from the post-Hellenistic West and from Iran in which a king and a god appear side by side. A majestic figure with a full beard and long wavy hair, who has been identified as the supreme deity Zeus/Serapis/Ohrmazd, receives a suppliant in the characteristic Iranian short tunic and leggings, hands clasped in adoration. Here, the rich intercultural style that developed in the Kushan realm is clearly displayed: Indian divine iconography; the Iranian type of two-figured composition; and Greco-Roman naturalism in the drapery and pose, as well as in the use of light and shadow to suggest modeling. The panel has holes at the corners and was probably set up, together with three others acquired by the Museum (MMA 2000.42.1, .3, .4), on the interior walls of a sanctuary, perhaps a family shrine. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327830