Persian calligraphy framed by an ornamental border of flowers, birds, and deer, from the Late Shah Jahan Album

Also known as: A Page of Persian Calligraphy Framed by an Ornamental border of Vines, Birds, and Deer, From the Late Shah Jahan Album; Page from the Late Shah Jahan Album: Persian Calligraphy Framed by an Ornamental Border of Flowers and Birds; Page from the Late Shah Jahan Album: Persian Calligraphy framed by an ornamental border of flowers, birds, and deer

View at the Cleveland Museum of Art

About the Artwork

About 100 years after the calligraphy was completed by a Persian master and embellished with gold and floral arabesques, the small page was mounted into an album for the Mughal emperor of India. Mughal artists filled the outer border with floral vines, blooming and budding with many varieties. Pairs of birds perch throughout; male and female deer relax, listening to the birdsong. The Indian artists chose to emphasize nature’s abundance and life-giving forces, whereas the Persian artists sought to achieve exquisite, gemlike refinement. The central poem, by Ibn-i Yamin (Persian, 1286–1368), encourages the reader not to worry about unexpected calamities.

Inscriptions

Ever since knotted locks of your hair were tied around your throat,/ My neck has also been chained by your tresses./ Henceforth my lot is to lament and cry,/ sounding like the [awakening] caravan bell,/ Protesting against these fellow travelers who have tied a heavy load on a nightingale.

Provenance

?–1977: Herbert F. Leisy [1900–1977], Cleveland Heights, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art 1977–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Exhibition history

Nature Supernatural. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 22, 2023-March 3, 2024).

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.

Quick Overview

Artist: Mir 'Ali Haravi (Persian, active in Herat, Afghanistan, died c. 1550)
Date: calligraphy: c. 1500–1540; border: c. 1630–40
Medium: Gum tempera, gold, and ink on paper
Dimensions: Overall: 36.8 x 25.2 cm (14 1/2 x 9 15/16 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Credit line: Gift of Herbert F. Leisy in memory of his wife, Helen Stamp Leisy
Accession no.: 1977.207

Open-access museum record · AT-00009737