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"Allegory of Worldly and Otherworldly Drunkenness", Folio from the Divan of Hafiz

Poet Hafiz Iranian
Painting by Sultan Muhammad Iranian
ca. 1531–33
Not on view
Sultan Muhammad, the most innovative painter of early sixteenth-century Iran, illustrates the verses by the mystical poet Hafiz by employing his characteristic sense of humor and extreme attention to detail. The tavern party, complete with ecstatic dancers, singers and overindulgent drinkers, is given a new meaning by the presence of angels on top of the pavilion, suggesting that the state of drunkenness can be likened to that of spiritual enlightenment. As a Sufi symbol, wine stands for heaven's divine light and the cup into which it is poured, for the devotee's heart.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: "Allegory of Worldly and Otherworldly Drunkenness", Folio from the Divan of Hafiz
  • Poet: Hafiz (Iranian, Shiraz ca. 1325–1390 Shiraz)
  • Artist: Painting by Sultan Muhammad (Iranian, active first half 16th century)
  • Date: ca. 1531–33
  • Geography: Attributed to Iran, Tabriz
  • Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
  • Dimensions: Illuminated folio:
    Painting: H. 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm)
    W. 5 15/16 in. (15.1 cm)
    Page: H. 11 3/8 in. (28.9 cm)
    W. 7 1/8 in. (18.1 cm)

    Calligraphic folio:
    Painting: H. 7 in. (17.8 cm)
    W. 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm)
    Page: H. 11 1/4 in. (28.6 cm)
    W. 7 1/4 in. (18.4 cm)

    Mat: H. 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm)
    W. 19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm)
  • Classification: Codices
  • Credit Line: Jointly owned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Cary Welch Jr., 1988
  • Object Number: 1988.430 + L.2019.55
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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