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Two Lohans

ca. 1480
Not on view
Images of ascetic figures such as these, referred to as lohans in Buddhist tradition, appear regularly in Chinese art. This drawing, however, is inscribed in the lower left "Siyah Qalam" (literally, Black Pen), linking this tinted drawing to a series of similarly inscribed pieces preserved in albums in Istanbul's Topkapi Palace Library. While these materials require further investigation, signed and dated pieces in the albums fall mostly within the reign of the Aq Quyunlu ruler Sultan Ya'qub (r. 1478–90), who reigned at Tabriz. Drawings such as this one may have been practice studies, after Chinese originals.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Two Lohans
  • Date: ca. 1480
  • Geography: Attributed to Iran, possibly Tabriz
  • Medium: Ink and transparent watercolor on paper
  • Dimensions: Page:
    H. 13 9/16 in. (34.5 cm)
    W. 9 3/8 in. (23.8 cm)
    Mat:
    H. 24 in. (61 cm)
    W. 19 1/2 in. (49.5 cm)
  • Classification: Codices
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1968
  • Object Number: 68.48
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

More Artwork

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"The Feast of Sada", Folio 22v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian, Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
"The Feast of Sada", Folio 22v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
Abu'l Qasim Firdausi
Sultan Muhammad
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"Isfandiyar's Third Course: He Slays a Dragon", Folio 434v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian, Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
"Isfandiyar's Third Course: He Slays a Dragon", Folio 434v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
Abu'l Qasim Firdausi
Qasim ibn 'Ali
ca. 1530
"Tahmuras Defeats the Divs", Folio 23v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian, Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
"Tahmuras Defeats the Divs", Folio 23v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
Abu'l Qasim Firdausi
Sultan Muhammad
ca. 1525
"The Final Joust of the Rooks: Gudarz Versus Piran", Folio 346r from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian, Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
"The Final Joust of the Rooks: Gudarz Versus Piran", Folio 346r from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1525–30
"Zahhak is Told His Fate", Folio 29v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian, Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
"Zahhak is Told His Fate", Folio 29v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
Abu'l Qasim Firdausi
Sultan Muhammad
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