Portrait of a Dervish

Not on view

In the sixteenth century, albums with examples of great painting and calligraphy pasted onto decorated pages became popular. This folio from such an album includes a portrait of a dervish, or member of a mystical religious fraternity, surrounded by lines of poetry from another work. Shown enveloped in a mantle, lost in thought with a string of prayer beads hanging from his sleeve, the dervish embodies the ideal of religious absorption, but the individualized drawing of his face suggests a true portrait.

Portrait of a Dervish, Main support: ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper Margins: gold on dyed paper

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Portrait of a Dervish, Main support: ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper Margins: gold on dyed paper
Portrait of a Dervish, Main support: ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper Margins: gold on dyed paper
Portrait of a Dervish, Main support: ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper Margins: gold on dyed paper

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