Weeping Man Drying His Eyes
ArtistAttributed to
Shaykh Muhammad
(Persian, died about 1588)
Date16th century
Mediumink with watercolor, gold metallic paint, and gold leaf on paper
Dimensions34.4 x 21.6 cm (13 9/16 x 8 1/2 in.)
ClassificationsNon-Western Miniatures
Credit LineJerome Wheelock Fund
Object number1935.17
Label TextToo large to be a preliminary sketch for a manuscript painting, this superb drawing is a moving example of the single-figue studies that became popular at the sixteenth-century safavid court. It is attributable to Shaykh Muhammad, who was responsbile for paintings in some of the best royal manuscripts of that time, as well as many independent single-page works. The hallmarks of his style in the present drawing include the spiraling turban folds and "viscerally" bunched sleeve drapery of the weeper's robe.
Shaykh Muhammad's tenure in the Safavid atelier came after the death of the old painter Bihzad, whose name was inscirbed here for profit of prestige at a later date. The signature of Bihzad, the most famous Persian miniature painter, is found on many works postdating his career of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century.ProvenanceDemotte, New York NYOn View
Not on viewCollections
Tabrīz, East Azerbaijan, Iran
1500–1525
