Unknown - Hafez-Diwan - 1675

A ghazal folio from a dispersed copy of the Diwan, written by Mohammed Shama od-din Hafez (1329-1399), in good condition. It is of Kashmiri origin dating back to approximately to 1675.

It is written in elegant nasta'liq in black ink, arranged in the classic 'chahar situn' (four column) format, with verses set in alternating vertical registers separated by gilded rules. It is on burnished gold paper. The illuminated cartouches with polychrome floral ornaments mark sectional headings or ghazal openings.

The main themes include: the beloved's tresses (golf) - dark curling hair used as a metaphor for entanglement captivity and the intoxicating power of love and spiritual intoxication; wine and the cup (jam/bade) symbolising spiritual ecstasy; longing and separation; the eyebrow and prayer niche (mihrab/abru), a favourite conceit comparing the curve of the eyebrow to a mosque's mihrab, merging erotic and devotional love.

The Dewan, which expresses Sufi ideals in lyrics, was written by Mohammed Shama od-din Hafez (1329-1399), a Sufi Muslim who practised a mystical form of Islam. His name 'Hafez' was given to those Muslims who could recite the Holy Koran by heart.

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