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Devotional Calligraphic Composition
  • Accession Number:AKM526
  • Place:India (Historic Hindustan)
  • Dimensions:12 x 19.2 cm
  • Date:17th century
  • Materials and Technique:Opaque watercolour, ink, and gold on paper

This splendid calligraphic lion is an example of zoomorphic writing where calligraphers blended the arts of writing and drawing by using words to form animal and human shapes. The choice of the lion here is quite pertinent since the Arabic text is a supplication to ‘Ali, the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, who was the fourth caliph and first imam. Because of his courage and valour, ‘Ali was known to Sunni and Shia Muslims by the epithet “The Lion of God.” The prayer, known as Nad-e ‘Ali, is typically used by Shia Muslims to seek ‘Ali’s help and support in times of stress and sorrow. What is interesting here is that the seventeenth-century calligrapher was so faithful in copying from an earlier model that he also replicated the signature of the original sixteenth-century calligrapher, most probably the famous Safavid calligrapher Mir ‘Ali Haravi. That signature forms the hind leg of the lion in the original composition.

Note: This online resource is reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis. We are committed to improving this information and will revise and update knowledge about this object as it becomes available.

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