Illumination in the Form of a Vase

Unknown

early 17th century · Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper · Islamic Art

This decorative fantasy of a flowering vase may have formed the opening or end of a Bijapuri album of paintings and calligraphy. The shape of the vase is principally outlined by serrated-edged saz leaves, which are a hallmark of sixteenth and seventeenth-century Ottoman art, a tradition that must have been known to the anonymous illuminator. The surface has been enriched with color and gold that has been pricked and worked, creating an overall effect of opulence. The fantastical form is typical of Deccani paintings, which often do not depict a known object or narrative, but instead delight in a whimsical and inventive combination of color and form.

Artist

Unknown

Date

early 17th century

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Howard Hodgkin Collection, Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions, 2020 Benefit, and Dodge Funds; Howard S. and Nancy Marks Gift; Louis V. Bell, Harris Brisbane Dick, Fletcher, and Rogers Funds and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest; and funds from various donors, 2022