Majnun in the Wilderness

Majnun in the WIlderness

The two Persian drawings of Majnun in the wilderness in the Museum's collection, while close in date, are quite different in concept.[1] The one seen here may almost be termed a sketch in that it appears to have been drawn with quick, sure brushstrokes and has an economy in its presentation. Majnun and the gazelle beside him dominate the composition. The fine, evenly undifferentiated lines of Majnun's body contrast with the detailed treatment of his head. The eye is led from Majnun's face to that of the trusting gazelle, both rendered in sensitive detail. Only a fox and a rabbit, dashed off with sympathetic liveliness, represent Majnun' s usual wild-animal coterie. The broad, wet-brush treatment of rocks and stones, full of suggestive animal faces, contrasts with the trim, delicate lines of much of the foliage as well as of Majnun himself. It is difficult to judge the function of a drawing such as this: It does not seem to have been a "model" to be copied, as it is not structured or simplified enough, and it is not a carefully finished "presentation" drawing. Was it dashed off at the request of a friend or patron, or to please the artist himself?

[Swietochowski and Babaie 1989]

Footnotes:

1. For more on the subject matter, see MMA no. 1974.21

George D. Pratt, New York (by 1933–d. 1935); Vera Amherst Hale Pratt, New York (life interest 1935–45)

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Persian Drawings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art," September 13–December 31, 1989, no. 11.

Swietochowski, Marie, and Sussan Babaie. Persian Drawings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1989. no. 11, pp. 32–33, ill. pl. 11 (b/w).