The Beloved Arrives at Midnight (painting, recto; text, verso), folio 54 from a manuscript of the Divan (Collection of Works) of Anvari

Artists

Description

The recto side of the folio features two columns of Persian text written in black ink and nasta’liq script. The columns are interrupted by a painting depicting a male figure in the process of waking his lover. The large candle in the room denotes the scene taking place at night. The verso side of the folio features two columns of Persian text written in black ink and nasta’liq script. The columns are interrupted by a horizontal break that contains a rectangle with Persian text written in black ink and nasta’liq script. The folio belongs to an illustrated copy of the Divan of Anvari commissioned by the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) in 1588 and in Lahore. The poet Anvari (1126-1189) is considered one of the greatest figures in Persian literature. His panegyric in honor of the Seljuq sultan, Ahmad Sanjar (r. 1118-1157) earned him royal favor and the patronage of two of Sanjar’s successors. Anvari’s poems were collected in a Divan, which contains eulogies, satire, panegyrics, and other forms of poetry and prose.

Dimensions

folio: 15.4 x 14 cm (6 1/16 x 5 1/2 in.)