Painting depicting a young man playing a string instrument, probably a lute, with illuminated borders with panels of poetry in nasta`liq calligraphy.
AKM423, A Musician playing a Stringed Instrument,Page from a Muraqqa‘ (album)

© The Aga Khan Museum

Illuminated page of fine nasta`liq calligraphy.
AKM423, A Musician playing a Stringed Instrument,Page from a Muraqqa‘ (album)

© The Aga Khan Museum

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A Musician playing a Stringed Instrument,Page from a Muraqqa‘ (album)
  • Accession Number:AKM423
  • Place:Iran
  • Dimensions:34.7 cm × 23 cm
  • Date:17th century (assemblage: probably 19th century)
  • Materials and Technique:Opaque watercolour, ink and gold on paper

  • It was common in Iran in the 16th century to gather samples of drawings, paintings, and calligraphy pieces to form an album. As in this example, album pages at times arranged by piecing together calligraphy, a painting, and illuminated sections gathered from various unrelated sources and mounted onto an album page to form a new composition.     

Further Reading   

The calligraphy on this page includes some verses from Bustan, the anecdotal verse work of the 13th-century Persian poet Sa‘di. The young man in the painting is playing a string instrument, probably a lute. 

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