Daily grace

Album leaf

Second half 15th century, Iran

paper with ink and opaque pigments

Artists from this period in the Islamic world frequently collected drawings, illuminations, and calligraphy, pasting the work into albums called muraqqa‘ (literally, “patchwork”), composite works of art notable for their contrast of subjects and styles. This album leaf contains at least seven strips of paper trimmed to fit the page. The abstract vegetal ornament of the medallion at the page’s center contrasts with realistic drawings of the two boars below; the boars are typical of a style associated with Siyah Qalam (“Black Pen”), a late 15th-century Islamic artist or school of art. His, or its, identity is a subject of scholarly debate.