Old man with a small child, by Ṣādiqī (d. 1610)

Sadiqi

Old man with a small child, by Ṣādiqī (d. 1610). Possibly drawn from a European print source, this tinted drawing shows an old man leaning on a staff, and leading a child by the hand. The artist was Shah `Abbas’s head librarian (kitabdar), the director of the royal court atelier. Folio, ink, colours and gold on paper, mounted on card, (on recto:) tinted drawing of an old man leaning on a staff, leading a child by the hand, signed Ṣādiqī (rāqamhu Ṣādiqī) in archaic script, with a verse of Persian poetry in nasta`liq script above and below, mounted together in gold-flecked blue paper frame, (on verso:) four lines of Persian poetry in nasta`liq script, signed Mīr `Alī al-Kātib, with illuminated cornerpieces, mounted in blue paper frame with gold foliate scrollwork, album page of plain card, possibly Isfahan, Iran, c. 1590-1610.