Artwork
Folio B: Folio from the "Five Treasures" (Panj Ganj) of Jami (recto)
Folio B: Folio from the "Five Treasures" (Panj Ganj) of Jami (recto) is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1563 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
This illuminated folio, part of the Panj Ganj (Five Treasures) of the poet Jami, presents a densely packed page of black calligraphy set against a muted cream background. The text is enclosed within a gilded border accented by thin red and blue lines, while the corners are embellished with delicate motifs of birds and flowers, and the page edges display a dark, textured finish.
Subject & Meaning
The page contains verses from Jami’s celebrated collection, a seminal work in Persian literature that compiles spiritual and moral teachings. The ornamental corners and the careful arrangement of the script underscore the reverence afforded to the poetic content, reflecting the manuscript’s role as both a literary and devotional object.
Technique & Style
The calligraphy is executed in a precise, deliberate hand, each letter rendered with meticulous strokes that emphasize uniformity and control. The gold border, applied with fine leaf, is outlined by narrow red and blue bands, and the miniature bird and flower decorations are painted in miniature style, typical of Persian manuscript illumination of the period.
History & Provenance
Originally produced as part of a larger illuminated codex of Jami’s Panj Ganj, the folio later entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is displayed alongside other similar pages, illustrating the manuscript’s journey from its Persian workshop to a Western museum context.
Context
Manuscripts of the Panj Ganj were commonly commissioned by elite patrons in the Safavid era, combining literary prestige with visual splendor. The use of gold leaf and vivid pigments aligns with courtly aesthetic standards, while the dense script reflects the scholarly emphasis on textual fidelity.
Artist & collection
Text of Rustam and Suhrab, from the Shah-nama of Firdausi (Persian, c. 934–1020) (recto)
From the Farhang-i Jahangiri (Persian-language Dictionary) compiled by Mir Jamal al-Din Husayn Inju of Shiraz (Persian, d. 1626)
Text of Rustam and Suhrab, from the Shah-nama of Firdausi (Persian, c. 934–1020) (verso)
An Illuminated Folio from the Royal Manuscript of the Farhang-i Jahangiri (recto)
Illuminated page (verso), from a Panj Ganj (Five Treasures) of Abd al- Rahman Jami (Persian, 1414–1492) with two Persian masnavis: Yusuf va Zulaykha (Joseph and Zulaykha) and Khirad-nama-i Iskandari (Alexander’s Book of Wisdom)
Page from a Panj Ganj (Five Treasures) of Abd al-Rahman Jami (Persian, 1414–1492), with two Persian masnavis: Yusuf va Zulaykha (Joseph and Zulaykha) and Subhat al-abrar (Rosary of the Righteous) (verso)