Illumination in the Form of a Vase
This decorative fantasy of a flowering vase may have formed the opening or end of a Bijapuri album of paintings and calligraphy. The shape of the vase is principally outlined by serrated-edged saz leaves, which are a hallmark of sixteenth and seventeenth-century Ottoman art, a tradition that must have been known to the anonymous illuminator. The surface has been enriched with color and gold that has been pricked and worked, creating an overall effect of opulence.
The fantastical form is typical of Deccani paintings, which often do not depict a known object or narrative, but instead delight in a whimsical and inventive combination of color and form.
The fantastical form is typical of Deccani paintings, which often do not depict a known object or narrative, but instead delight in a whimsical and inventive combination of color and form.
Artwork Details
- Title: Illumination in the Form of a Vase
- Date: early 17th century
- Geography: Made in India, Deccan, Bijapur. Country of Origin India
- Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
- Dimensions: Frame: 13 3/16 × 9 3/4 × 9/16 in. (33.5 × 24.7 × 1.5 cm)
Image: 10 1/16 × 6 5/8 in. (25.5 × 16.8 cm) - Classification: Codices
- Credit Line: Howard Hodgkin Collection, Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions, Harris Brisbane Dick, and 2020 Benefit Funds; Howard S. and Nancy Marks, Lila Acheson Wallace, and Friends of Islamic Art Gifts; Louis V. Bell, Harris Brisbane Dick, Fletcher, and Rogers Funds and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest; and funds from various donors, 2022
- Object Number: 2022.204
- Curatorial Department: Islamic Art
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