Page of Calligraphy from the Bellini Album
Unknown Artist
ca. 1600
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
H. 7 1/8 in. (18.1 cm) W. 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Louis V. Bell Fund, 1967
Accession Number
67.266.7.7r
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Page of Calligraphy from the Bellini Album*, created around 1600, exemplifies the pinnacle of Islamic artistic tradition. Crafted by an unknown master using ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper, diminutive folio measures just 7 1/8 by 3 3/8 inches, perfect for intimate contemplation in a collector's album. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic Department (acquired via the Louis V. Bell Fund 1967), it belongs to the classification of codices—pages from bound manuscripts or albums prized for their beauty. In the Islamic world of the late 16th and early 17th cen...