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Album Page with Découpé Calligraphy

1630–40
Not on view
This calligraphic folio, comprised of découpé letters, floral motifs, and sinuous arabesques, is a masterful creation of two artists who have signed their work: Ali, the calligrapher and Muhammad Hasan, the paper cutter. The calligraphy reveals a saying attributed to ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad) upon freeing his slave Qanbar, which became a well-known Shi’ite phrase. Here the letters are interwoven with a simple but strong S-shaped arabesque scroll bearing blossoms.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Album Page with Découpé Calligraphy
  • Date: 1630–40
  • Geography: Attributed to India, probably Bijapur. Country of Origin India
  • Medium: Gouache on black paper with colored and white decoupage
  • Dimensions: Frame: 18 1/8 × 13 11/16 × 7/8 in. (46.1 × 34.7 × 2.2 cm)
    Image: 16 3/4 × 12 5/8 in. (42.5 × 32 cm)
    Sheet: 12 3/8 × 7 7/8 in. (31.5 × 20 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: 2022.203
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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"Shah Jahan on a Terrace, Holding a Pendant Set With His Portrait", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album, Chitarman Indian, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
"Shah Jahan on a Terrace, Holding a Pendant Set With His Portrait", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album
Chitarman
recto: dated 1627–28; verso: ca. 1530–50
Album Page with Decoupe Vase of Flowers, Insects, and Birds, Muhammad Hasan, Gouache on black paper with colored and white decoupage
Album Page with Decoupe Vase of Flowers, Insects, and Birds
Muhammad Hasan
1630–40
"Rosette Bearing the Names and Titles of Shah Jahan", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
"Rosette Bearing the Names and Titles of Shah Jahan", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album
recto: ca. 1645; verso: ca. 1630–40
The House of Bijapur, Kamal Muhammad, Ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper
The House of Bijapur
Kamal Muhammad
Chand Muhammad
ca. 1680
Calligraphic Galleon, 'Abd al-Qadir Hisari Turkish, Ink and gold on paper
Calligraphic Galleon
'Abd al-Qadir Hisari
dated 1180 AH/1766–67 CE

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