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Maker(s):Attributed to Muhammad ‘Ali
Culture:Iranian, active 17th century
Title:A Gathering of Muslim Mystics (Sufis), illustration from an unidentified dispersed manuscript
Date Made:ca. 1640s
Type:Painting
Materials:Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
Place Made:Iran; Isfahan, Safavid court
Measurements:sheet with border: 13 7/16 x 8 5/16 in.; 34.1313 x 21.1138 cm
Accession Number:  SC 1958.119
Credit Line:Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Marcus
Museum Collection:  Smith College Museum of Art
1958_119.jpg

Description:
a group of men gathered together under a tree where food and urns of drink have been scattered, seven are seated and two standing one of them with a basket of fruit, one of the seated figures holds a paper with text written on it out to the others, landscape and three other small trees in background

Label Text:
Mystic orders were often recognized by their distinctive headgear, in this case a cylindrical hat worn with a sash around its base; although the identity of this order remains unknown, such gatherings of the "pir" (the elderly spiritual guide) and the "murshid" (the disciples) is a common genre in 17th century Persian painting; the leisurely outdoor setting and men surrounded with food, drinks, and water-pipes belies the spiritual and erudite nature of the theme; this painting can be attributed to Muhammad 'Ali, one of a prominent group of artists in mid 17th century Isfahan whose style represents a synthesis of the traditional Persian manner with a mode of representation adopted from European painting, particularly evident in the rendering of the faces and in some landscape elements.

Tags:
landscapes; vegetation; food; literature; religion; Islam; costume

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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=SC+1958.119

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