Prayers for the New Year (Nowruz) in Persian signed by Muhammad Bakhsh, dated 1211/1796-7 from India. Ay akhtar-i burj-i sa'd ba bakht-i sa'id / Bar khiz tarab guzin ka noruz rasid / Har va'da ka iqbal namud ast bi-to / Al-hal qarib ast agar bud ba'id Dimensions of Written Surface: 10.2 (w) x 18.2 (h) cm Oh Star of the Constellation of Destiny (endowed) with good luck / Rise up and be merry because the New Year has arrived. / Every promise that Fortune has made to you / Is now close, if it (ever) had been far. This calligraphic panel is executed in black (Indian) naskh on a pink paper decorated with gold cloud motifs and pasted to a light blue backing. It is signed by Muhammad Bakhsh and dated 1211/1796-7 in the lower left corner. In the upper right corner, an invocation to 'Ali (Oh 'Ali, the Greatest, or Ya 'Ali al-a'ala) shows that the work emerged from a Shi'i milieu. The iambic pentameter quatrain, or ruba'i, that follows reads: This poem wishes a ruler (nicknamed the "Star of the Constellation of Destiny") everlasting good fortune and the fulfillment of promises on the occasion of New Year's. This New Year, or noruz, is most likely the Spring equinox (March 21st) marking the beginning of the solar calendar as celebrated in Iran and parts of India. It appears that this calligraphic panel was executed on such an occasion to celebrate the New Year and to wish a patron prosperity for the years to come. This practice of offering good wishes in written form during New Year's celebrations is attested to in a number of other calligraphic specimens in the Library of Congress (see 1-04-713.19.3, 1-04-713.19.48, and 1-04-713.19.49). Script: naskh 1-84-154.51
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- 1211/1796-7
