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A Stallion

Painting by Habiballah of Sava Iranian
ca. 1601–6
Not on view
Studies such as this superb example of a richly caparisoned royal horse of Arabian stock, with a small head and an elegant swan's neck, abound in fifteenth-, sixteenth-, and seventeenth-century Iranian, Turkish, and Indian paintings and drawings. Many of these works of art either emphasize a prince's dashing horsemanship as an allegory of his royal power and ruling intellect or depict him dismounting in order to show proper humility before a holy man. In this painting, there is no denying the sheer delight of the artist—and no doubt of his royal patron—in dwelling on the beauty of the steed. Habib Allah demonstrates his virtuosity by adorning the saddlecloth with calligraphic, fantastically elongated, serrated leaves interspersed with blossoms, a popular drawing style in sixteenth-century Turkey and Iran known by the Persian word saz, or "fashioning."

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: A Stallion
  • Artist: Painting by Habiballah of Sava (Iranian, active ca. 1590–1610)
  • Date: ca. 1601–6
  • Geography: Attributed to present-day Afghanistan, Herat
  • Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
  • Dimensions: Painting:
    H. 11 7/8 in. (30.1 cm)
    W. 8 in. (20.3 cm)
    Page:
    H. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm)
    W. 5 in. (12.7 cm)
  • Classification: Codices
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Louis E. and Theresa S. Seley Purchase Fund for Islamic Art, The Edward Joseph Gallagher III Memorial Collection, Edward J. Gallagher Jr. Bequest, and Richard S. Perkins and Margaret Mushekian Gifts, 1992
  • Object Number: 1992.51
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
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"The Concourse of the Birds", Folio 11r from a Mantiq al-Tayr (Language of the Birds), Habiballah of Sava Iranian, Ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper
"The Concourse of the Birds", Folio 11r from a Mantiq al-Tayr (Language of the Birds)
Habiballah of Sava
Farid al-Din `Attar
ca. 1600
"Farhad Carves a Milk Channel for Shirin", Folio 74 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja, Nizami, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
"Farhad Carves a Milk Channel for Shirin", Folio 74 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja
Multiple artists/makers
931 AH/1524–25 CE
Dragon-Handled Jug with Inscription, Brass; cast and turned, engraved, and inlaid with silver, gold, and black organic compound
Dragon-Handled Jug with Inscription
early 16th century
"The Eavesdropper", Folio 47r from a Haft Paikar (Seven Portraits) of the Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja, Maulana Azhar, Ink, opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper
"The Eavesdropper", Folio 47r from a Haft Paikar (Seven Portraits) of the Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1430
"Dancing Dervishes", Folio from a Divan of Hafiz, Hafiz Iranian, Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
"Dancing Dervishes", Folio from a Divan of Hafiz
Hafiz
Bihzad
ca. 1480

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