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Manuscript of the Hadiqat al-Su`ada (Garden of the Blessed) of Fuzuli

Arts of the Islamic World

This manuscript is a copy of the sixteenth-century Hadiqat al-Sucada (Garden of the Blessed), written in Baghdad by the Ottoman mystic Muhammad bin Sulayman, known as Fuzuli (circa 1483–1556). It is a text on the Prophet’s family and belongs to a group of illustrated devotional manuscripts executed in a provincial style in Baghdad under the patronage of the Ottoman sultan Mehmet III (r. 1595–1603). Here, the Prophet is shown veiled and seated on a pulpit, accompanied by his cousin and son-in-law, cAli, and his grandchildren, Hasan and Husayn, all distinguished by haloes of fire. According to the Ottoman Turkish text, Muhammad is conversing with the angel Gabriel and the Angel of Death. The representation of Muhammad demonstrates that depictions of the Prophet, while not common, have long existed in the Islamic world.
MEDIUM Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper; leather binding
  • Place Made: Baghdad, Iraq
  • DATES AH 1011 / 1602–3 C.E.
    DYNASTY Ottoman
    PERIOD Ottoman
    DIMENSIONS 5 1/2 x 9 3/4 in. (14 x 24.8 cm)  (show scale)
    SIGNATURE Colophon (in Arabic) reads: The book was finished with the aid of al-Malik al-Wahhab [one of the beautiful names of God] by the hand of the frail servant, the sinner, the transgressor, the one in need of the mercy of God al-Malik al-Ghani [another one of the beautiful names] 'Aziz-Allah [sic] al-Hus
    INSCRIPTIONS Colophon (in Arabic), with some diacritics missing: في السابع والعشرين من شهر جمادي [ا]لأخر سنة أحدا عشر ألف في دار السلام البغداد
    ACCESSION NUMBER 70.143
    CREDIT LINE Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles K. Wilkinson
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION This manuscript is a copy of the sixteenth-century Hadiqat al-Su`ada (Garden of the Blessed), written in Baghdad by the Ottoman mystic Muhammad bin Sulayman, known as Fuzuli (circa 1483–1556). It is a text on the Prophet’s family and belongs to a group of illustrated devotional manuscripts executed in a provincial style in Baghdad under the patronage of the Ottoman sultan Mehmet III (r. 1595–1603). Here, the Prophet is shown veiled and seated on a pulpit, accompanied by his cousin and son-in-law, `Ali, and his grandchildren, Hasan and Husayn, all distinguished by haloes of fire. According to the Ottoman Turkish text, Muhammad is conversing with the angel Gabriel and the Angel of Death. The representation of Muhammad demonstrates that depictions of the Prophet, while not common, have long existed in the Islamic world. Works on Paper Rotation, Islamic Galleries, June 2009 Ladan Akbarnia
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Muhammad bin Sulayman, known as Fuzuli (ca. 1483–1556). Manuscript of the Hadiqat al-Su`ada (Garden of the Blessed) of Fuzuli, AH 1011 / 1602–3 C.E. Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper; leather binding, 5 1/2 x 9 3/4 in. (14 x 24.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles K. Wilkinson, 70.143 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 70.143_p014_PS6.jpg)
    IMAGE page, page 14, 70.143_p014_PS6.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2012
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