Lovers parting, page from a book of fables

c. 1590–95

Maker Unknown

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Lovers parting, page from a book of fables, c. 1590–95. Northern India, Mughal court, 16th century. Opaque watercolor with gold on paper, mounted on an album leaf with inner borders of gold-sprinkled blue paper and outer plain cream borders (recto); ink on paper, six lines of Persian calligraphy (verso); page: 36.1 x 24.8 cm (14 3/16 x 9 3/4 in.); painting: 24 x 12 cm (9 7/16 x 4 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection 2013.303

Original Source

Maker/Artist: Maker Unknown
Classification: Painting
Formatted Medium: opaque watercolor with gold on paper, mounted on an album leaf with inner borders of gold-sprinkled blue paper and outer plain cream borders (recto); ink on paper, six lines of Persian calligraphy (verso)
Medium: opaque, watercolor, gold, paper, mounted, album, leaf, inner, borders, gold-sprinkled, blue, outer, plain, cream, recto, ink, lines, persian, calligraphy, verso
Dimensions: Page: 36.1 x 24.8 cm (14 3/16 x 9 3/4 in.); Painting: 24 x 12 cm (9 7/16 x 4 3/4 in.)
Inscribed: Inscription: Banyavati inscription in Devenagari script in left margin describing the subject of the miniature: 'We failed to understand each other when we were together, the understanding in that respect may come to us on being separated". Inscription: Verso: From an album preface Persian text in nasta‘liq script: . . . and he also added illustrations and decorations and in truth an album was arranged that ever since the visage of rosy-cheeked beauties has been bedecked by their black sweet-smelling tresses, the like of the calligraphic lines that are written upon it have never been set upon any paper by a pen, and ever since the album of the sky has been illuminated by the luminosity of the moon and the sun, the light of the understanding . . .
Departments: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Accession Number: 2013.303
Credit Line: Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection
Exhibitions: Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 245); December 31, 2013 - June 30, 2014.<br>The Cleveland Museum of Art (7/31/2016-10/23/2016); Art and Stories from Mughal India, cat. 17, p. 190.
Rights Statement: CC0