The Fox's Fear (painting, recto; text, verso), folio 314 from a manuscript of the Divan (Collection of Works) of Anvari

Artists

Description

The recto side of the folio features a painting depicting a mounted hunter on a foxhunt. He holds his sword high in the air as he gallops through terrain surrounded by rocky outcrops. A hunting dog and attendant on foot accompany him. The painting is flanked by verses of Persian text written in black ink and in nasta’liq script. The verso side of the folio features two columns of Persian text written in black ink and nasta’liq script. There is a horizontal break towards the top and at the bottom of the page. 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: 14 x 7.2 cm (5 1/2 x 2 13/16 in.)

Provenance

Louis J. Cartier collection. John Goelet, New York, NY, (by 1960), gift; to Fogg Art Museum, 1960.