Seated Man in the Wilderness

Unknown

first half 17th century · Ink and gold on paper · Islamic Art

Drawings of kneeling figures in landscape proliferated in the first quarter of the seventeenth century in Iran. Often, but not exclusively, the figures are men drinking, reading poetry or holding a flower or fruit, as in this work. Intended for inclusion in an album, the drawing may have faced another work of a related subject, perhaps a person receiving the fruit proffered by the kneeling man. The figure's pear-shaped thighs and the line of variable thickness recall works by Riza-yi 'Abbasi (fl. 1589–1635).

Artist

Unknown

Date

first half 17th century

Medium

Ink and gold on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Gift of Tabbagh Frères, 1911