Kanphata yogi with his dog, folio from the Salim Album

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Kanphata yogi with his dog, folio from the Salim Album. This painting depicts a yogi sitting peacefully with his dog by a cave. The surrounding Persian text is a love poem, describing the poet as "the watchman of love", and his hopeless wish to be even the dog of his beloved. The Salim Album refers to a group of thirty (known) folios, today dispersed in international collections. These were once part of a small album of paintings and calligraphy, assembled for the Mughal prince Salim (who from 1605 would reign as the emperor Jahangir), probably during the brief years (1600-1604) that he spent in his own court at Allahabad. Eight of these folios are in the Chester Beatty. Although many have been trimmed down, the surviving Salim Album folios share a similar border scheme, of distinctive gold-painted geometric, cloud collar and floral motifs. The art collection mounted in the prince's album deals mainly with single or paired figures, framed by couplets of Persian poetry: these are contemporary court portraits, small compositions adapted from European print media, or studies of spiritual figures. Folio, ink, colours and gold on paper, mounted on gold-painted card, painting of a kanphata yogi with his dog, Persian poetry in nasta`liq script, folio from the Salim Album, assembled Allahabad, India, painting c. 1600, album c. 1600-1605.