Anvari Entertains in a Summer House (painting, verso; text, recto), folio 109 from a manuscript of the Divan of Anvari 1588

Curator: At Harvard Art Museums, we have folio 109 from a manuscript of the Divan of Anvari, attributed to Basawan. Titled, "Anvari Entertains in a Summer House," it presents a vivid tableau. Editor: It's striking! So much activity, and the figures are wonderfully positioned. Is that a scholar or ruler elevated in the tree? Curator: Yes, there's a clear hierarchy, with the elevated figure being attended to. I'm drawn to the labor evident in the painting. The ladder construction, the service—who were these laborers? Editor: Precisely. Who are these people supporting the leisure of the elite? It raises questions about class and power dynamics in that society. How is their labor depicted, and what does it tell us about their status? Curator: And the materials themselves: the pigments, the paper, the very act of creation, a confluence of skilled labor, from mining pigments to grinding them, to the bookbinders who assembled the final manuscript. Editor: It is a multi-layered artifact, isn't it? It invites us to consider not just the aesthetic accomplishment but the social and economic web in which it was created, received, and circulated. Curator: Absolutely. It highlights the material conditions that enabled such a refined piece of art to even exist. Editor: A poignant reflection on art, labor, and societal structure, indeed.