Persian calligraphy framed by an ornamental border of flowers, birds, and deer, from the Late Shah Jahan Album
1572
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1572
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see black Persian script floating inside a gold frame, surrounded by a bright border of flowers, birds, and deer. The calligraphy was written in Afghanistan around 1530, then sent to India a century later. Mughal artists added the border, filling it with life—deer listening to birds, vines heavy with blooms. The mix shows two cultures: Persian precision meets Indian love of nature. To see more pages like this, look up *mughal india, court of shah jahan (reigned 1628–58)*.
