"A Man Complained to Da'ud of a Sufi Mystic Drunk", Folio from a Kulliyat (Complete Works) of Sa'di
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
Painting: H. 9 13/16 in. (24.9 cm) W. 4 13/16 in. (12.2 cm) Page: H. 14 in. (35.6 cm) W. 8 3/8 in. (21.3 cm) Mat:: H. 19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm) W. 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Alexander Smith Cochran, 1913
Accession Number
13.228.10.7
Art Historical Context
This exquisite folio from the 19th-century *Kulliyat* (Complete Works) of the renowned Persian poet Sa'd depicts a whimsical yet profound scene titled *"A Man Complained to'ud of a Sufi Mystic Drunk."*'di (c. 1210–1290), celebrated for his moral fables and mystical poetry in works like the *Bustan* and *Gulistan*, often wove Sufi themes of spiritual ecstasy into everyday anecdotes. Here, a complainant approaches the prophet Da'ud (David), highlighting the cultural trope of the "drunk" Sufi—symbolizing divine intoxication rather than literal inebriation—reflecting Persian literature's blend of ...