Page of Calligraphy from an Anthology of Poetry by Sa`di and Hafiz 1475 - 1499

This page of calligraphy from an anthology of poetry by Sa’di and Hafiz was made with ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper. It’s an intriguing example of the public role of art and imagery in the Islamic world. The practice of calligraphy has a very high status because it is associated with the sacred act of writing down the words of God. At the same time, the practice of poetry, especially love poetry, has a somewhat ambiguous status, as it is seen as a distraction from the divine. The combination of the two in this artwork seems to present something of a paradox, which can be interpreted as an expression of human creativity and intellectual pursuit. To understand the meaning of art, we need to look at its social and institutional context, including the status of poetry, the role of religious institutions, and the traditions of manuscript production. We can delve deeper by researching the lives and works of Sa’di and Hafiz, exploring the cultural history of the time, and examining the history of the book as a cultural object.