Old Man with Cane in Rocky Landscape (drawing, recto; calligraphy, verso), folio from an album

Set between lines of Persian poetry in black nasta? liq, the drawing on the recto of this album folio is framed by multiple rulings and a stenciled margin of exuberant lotus palmettes, rosettes, and curled leaves drawn in gold, the spaces between them tinted with a fine spray of crimson pigment. The drawing itself, executed in black ink using line and wash, depicts an elderly man traversing a landscape of rocky outcroppings, scattered boulders, and plants. Hunched forward, he uses a cane to prop himself up and navigate the uneven terrain. The draftsmanship is accomplished overall, but the rendering of the old man’s expressive facial features and the detail of his ear pressed under the weight of a fat turban are especially fine. An inscription at the bottom reads, ?amal-i kamina Riza-yi ?Abbasi (work of/done by the humble Riza ?Abbasi). Because the vast majority of Riza’s signatures begin with raqm or raqam (design) or mashaqahu (drew it), this inscription is likely to be an attribution. Moreover, the manner in which it is written differs from authentic specimens of Riza’s handwriting. While certain details of the drawing might mimic Riza’s work, it is not by him, nor does it directly copy one of his known studies. The verso of the album folio features a calligraphic specimen mounted within a blue border decorated with gold palmettes, rosettes, and leaves. The calligraphy, copied in black nasta? liq on brown paper, consists of two couplets of Persian poetry and is signed by Khalil Allah. A line of minute script between the couplets notes that the “writing occurred” (ta?rir yaft) in the “abode of the sultanate Herat” (bi-dar al-sul?ana Harat).