Al Fazl bringing water for Yahya Barmaki to make his ablution

Public Domain

CultureIndian

Titles

Al Fazl bringing water for Yahya Barmaki to make his ablution
from the Akbar-i-Barmikyan (recto)
Panel of Nasta'liq calligraphy (verso)

Datec. 1595

Medium(A) Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper (B) Ink and gold on paper

DimensionsImage (.A): 11 3/8 × 6 1/8 in. (28.9 × 15.6 cm)
Image (.B): 8 13/16 × 5 7/8 in. (22.4 × 14.9 cm)
Sheet: 11 5/8 × 6 5/8 in. (29.5 × 16.8 cm)

Credit LineGift of Stephen Hamilton in honor of Senator Kazem Kooros

Object number2007.1198

Not on view

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Department

Art of the Islamic Worlds

Object Type

PAINTING

DescriptionThe Akhbar-i Barmakiyan is a work dedicated to the history of the Barmakids, a Persian family that rose to power in the course of the 8th century under the ‘Abbasid dynasty (reigned 750-1256). The text is believed to have been first written in Arabic in the 10th or 11th century and to have been translated in Persian around the 14th century. However, the first illustrated version was only produced under the Mughal dynasty (reigned 1536-1858). This page belongs to the latter manuscript, and represents Yahya Barmakid, vizier of the ‘Abbasid caliph al-Mahdi (reigned 775-785), receiving water from his son in order to perform the ablutions preceding the ritual of Islamic prayer.
Provenance Research Ongoing

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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