Leaf of Calligraphy from Poems by Sa'di

Sa'di

16th century · Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper; decoupage and stenciled borders · Islamic Art

This folio’s border is composed of cut buff paper carefully pasted onto blue paper to produce a bold design of plants and animals, with small cutouts that suggest the textures of fur and feathers. The motif of the entwined cypress and flowering tree was familiar to Persian art at the time. The inscriptions, which include an identification of the cypress tree, may have been added later. The border on the reverse was created using stencils rather than decoupage.

Artist

Sa'di

Date

16th century

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper; decoupage and stenciled borders

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Fletcher Fund, 1934