Man with Prayer Beads

Muhammad `Ali

In the mid-seventeenth century, followers of the famous Riza-yi 'Abbasi continued his practice of producing drawings of single figures in a landscape for inclusion in albums. The jutting rocks, heavily drawn leafy plants, and delicate quality of line differ from Riza’s lighter, more subtle draftsmanship. This figure portrayed fingering his prayer beads may be a sufi, or mystic, or may simply be reciting prayers or the ninety-nine names of God.